The Life and Death of Estella Stroud: Part 1
by lacewing33
Summary: This is the story of Estella Stroud and her twin sister, Ariella. Daughters of a long line of pure-blood wizards, each will face different challenges at Hogwarts and after, as the Wizarding World prepares for the First War against the Dark Lord. Estella especially will need to come to terms with her role and that of her friends and sister. (Ellie is the main OC)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the completed Part 1 of The Life and Death of Estella Stroud! Please, please, please review! I'm working on Part 2 now, and this will help me get it posted faster ;) I hope you all enjoy!

**June 1971**

"Ellie, you're going to get us into trouble!"

"Shhhh! We'll get in trouble for sure if you keep that up!"

"But I—" Ellie threw a hand over her twin's mouth. After all her efforts, she was not going to let Ari's uncertainty foil her plan. There was a limited window for success, and she was going to continue on with or without Ari's help.

"Shut up and follow me" Ellie whispered.

Being the more troublesome of the two, Ellie was the leader in any nefarious activities the girls were involved in. Ari was much more shy and well-manned, easily persuaded by her sister into following along with her plans. In the last month alone, Ellie had convinced Ari to help her turn the cat pink, remove the roses from their mother's rose bushes, and switch their fathers shampoo with hair removal ointment.

In this way, they were just like any other eleven years olds, though probably slightly more difficult to manage. Estella and Ariella Stroud were just two pureblood twins who had a penchant for trouble. This would explain why Ellie, the eldest by seven minutes, was leading an expedition into the kitchens in the middle of the night. You see, at the moment there was a freshly made lemon tart cooling in the kitchen just waiting to be eaten. Since it was the girls' favorite dessert, they saw no reason to wait all night to dig in.

Unfortunately, their mother didn't have the same mindset, and so they were forced into secrecy.

Opening the kitchen door as quietly as she could, Ellie gestured her sister to go in ahead of her. "Do you see them?" she whispered.

Ari scanned the room until her eyes landed on the serving tray next to the sink. Letting out a small, excited gasp, she turned her head to her sister with wide eyes and nodded as a grin overtook her face. Ellie smiled and pushed passed her twin to made her way towards the tray. Not believing their luck, she peeled back the wrappings and took two squares, one for each her and Ari. Handing one to her sister, Ellie opened her mouth to take the first of many bites of lemon tart.

At least, that was her plan until the kitchen lights came on.

"Estella! Ariella! What _exactly_ do you think you're doing?" Squealing, Ellie lost her grip on her piece of lemon tart and watched as it fell to the floor. Mournfully, she looked in to the angry eyes of her mother.

Mrs. Stroud was a beautiful woman. Her hair was long and blonde with small waves framing her face. Crystal blue eyes, despite that they never seemed to soften, were said by many to be her greatest feature. Petite and pale, Lorella Stroud was the epitome of a pureblood house wife. This extended to the disciplinary actions she chose in inflict on her children. Knowing this, Ellie took a daring step towards her enraged mother.

"It was my idea, Mother. I just wanted a piece lemon tart, and I made Ari come with me," she said boldly.

Ignoring her, Mrs. Stroud grabbed each girl by the arm and pulled them from the kitchen. Ellie cast one last longing look towards the fallen lemon tart before following her ranting mother.

"Don't presume that you can keep your sister from punishment, Estella! She is just as guilty as you. Maybe one day she will stop agreeing to your harebrained plans," Looking to Ari, who just shrugged her shoulders, Ellie doubted very much that would ever happen. Lorella dragged the twins into their room and deposited each girl onto their beds.

"Stay here while I go get your father." Lorella slammed the door shut behind her as she left.

Ellie and Ari exchanged looks with one another. After eleven years, they were used to their parents' punishments. It happened at least once a week—either the girls were forced to miss supper or they weren't allowed out of their room for the day. When father got really angry (like after the hair removal incident) they made be grabbed roughly enough to sport bruises, or have a switch pulled on them. Having grown up in the pureblood lifestyle, this was typical. The twins were expected to behave a certain way, something Ellie and Ari were usually not inclined to do.

Thankfully, they only have three months left before they would be leaving for Hogwarts, and Ellie knew that there, lemon tart would be abundant.


	2. Chapter 2

**September 1, 1971**

"Now remember, you will only write home once every two weeks. If there is an emergency, you will ask your head of house to write your father of myself for you. Any grade under _Exceeds Expectations _will be met with punishment upon your return home. While at Hogwarts you are expected to make the Stroud family proud," Lorella Stroud turned to her eldest daughter and narrowed her eyes. "Estella, you will under _no_ circumstances embarrass this family. There will be no tricks or sneaking around after hours. You will _behave_. Am I understood?"

"Yes, mother," Ellie found it very difficult to refrain from rolling her eyes.

"Good," Her mother nodded, satisfied at her answer, "I await your letters confirming your placement into Syltherin. Until Christmas." With these parting words and a nod of her head, Lorella left the twins standing between platforms 9 and 10.

"Well, that was encouraging," Ellie looked to her sister, "Now what?"

"I'm not sure," Ari's replied, tucking her shoulder length blonde hair behind her ear.

The younger twin's expression was troubled, and Ellie had no problem determining the cause of her sister's distress. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she attempted to reassure her. "You're going to be great, Ari. You already know as much as a third year, and you'll have no trouble making friends,"

Ariella laughed at her sister's attempt to encourage her. "If you say so, Ellie. I-,"

"Oh, um, hello!" a voice called out. The twins turned to see a red-headed girl about their own age standing before them. The girl was striking, in a unique sort of way. Her red hair was unlike anything Ellie had ever seen, and her green eyes stood out in such a way that Ellie found herself slightly envious of. Her own eyes were an odd mixture of blue and green, while the newcomer's were the purest green she'd ever seen.

"Hi!" Ellie emphatically greeted the witch, "I'm Estella Stroud and this is my sister Ariella. You can call us Ellie and Ari." She took note of the girl's trunks and caged barn owl, "Are you headed to Hogwarts?"

The red-head's eyes lit up at the mention of the school, "Yes! Only, I'm not too sure how to get to the train. I'm Lily by the way, Lily Evans."

"It's good to meet you Lily," Ari spoke up, "Unfortunately, our mother has just left, and we aren't too sure how to get to the train either."

"That's alright, I'm supposed to be meeting a friend here anyway. He might know." Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of something just over the girls' shoulders. "Oh look, he's just arrived!"

Ellie turned to face the other new arrival, her eyes falling on the strangest looking boy she'd ever seen. He was just as striking as Lily, but in the opposite and most unfortunate sense of the word. His lank black hair hung past his ears. His eyes were nearly black and stood out in eerie contrast to his too-pale face. The boy was frightening, and the look he was giving the twins did nothing to soften Ellie's first impression of him.

"Ellie, Ari. This is Severus Snape. He's a very dear friend of mine. Sev, these are the Stroud twins. We're trying to figure out how to get to the train. Perhaps you can help?" Lily inquired hopefully.

"I find it pretty pathetic that two pureblood witches cannot figure out how to even enter the _wizarding_ world," Snape sneered. Ellie found herself promptly returning the look.

"Well, this is our first year, you see. We haven't done it before." Ari's soft spoken voice came from behind her sister.

"In any case," Snape drolled, "_I_ know how to get to on. Follow me Lily." The boy gathered his belongings and walked right through the brick wall between platforms 9 and 10.

"Well, that answers that," Ellie said with a sigh, "Lily, go before me and keep up with Snape. Ari, you follow me."

Lily took a deep breath before stepping through the wall after Snape. Seeing it done a second time, Ellie felt more comfortable going through herself. Staring at the wall, she gathered her nerve and made several determined steps towards it, closing her eyes as she stepped through.

The deafening sound of the train's whistle greeted Ellie on the other side. She opened her eyes to see Lily and a very aggravated Snape waiting for her. Turning, she smiled at Ari who had just arrived through the wall herself.

"That wasn't bad at all!" Ari exclaimed, grinning. Ellie smile back at her sister. The two then began making their way over to Lily and Snape.

"Lily," Ellie heard Snape say, "We really should be finding our seats now. _Alone_.," he emphasized, glaring at the approaching twins.

"I'd like us to sit with them, Sev," Lily replied. Ellie snuck a smug look at Snape who was beginning to look royally ticked off.

"_Fine._" Ellie, one. Snape, zero.

The four children found an empty compartment after several minutes of searching. They settled into their seats, Lily and Snape on one side, Ari and Ellie facing them. There were several seconds of awkward silence before Lily spoke up.

"So, Sev said you're purebloods. What does that mean?" Apparently, he had recognized their last name. Hopefully this wouldn't be common among the student at Hogwarts. Ellie disliked being just based off her family's name alone.

"It means," Snape interjected, "that their family is one of the oldest and wealthiest in the Wizarding community. Papa Stroud has his hands all over the Ministry for Magic from what I've read. Most purebloods don't take too kindly to muggle-borns like yourself Lily. They believe them to be inferior." Snape finished, cutting a spiteful look to Ellie.

She was _really_ getting tired of him.

"Oh," Lily muttered dejectedly, "does that mean that you don't want to be my—" Lily was cut off as the compartment door was thrown open.

A dark haired boy appeared in the doorway. He looked to be a first-year like them. Round glasses sat on his nose and his dark brown hair stuck out in all directions. He glanced around at them before his eyes settled on Lily. A smirk appeared on his lips as he quickly ran a hand through his hair.

"Hello," he said, stepping into their compartment and holding out a hand to Lily, "I'm James Potter."

"Lily Evans," she responded, shaking his hand. "This is Severus Snape and Estella and Ariella Stroud. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," James said, returning to the doorframe. Leaning back out into the aisle he shouted, "Oi! Sirius! Over here!"

_Oh, Merlin please no. Not him._

Ellie's silent plea fell on deaf ears as Sirius Black appeared next to Potter. Ari lets out a gasp and moved closer to Ellie.

The twins had heard of the Potters and the Blacks. Both were old pureblood families like the Stroud's. The Potters, however, were known in Ellie's family and throughout the supremacist pureblood community as blood-traitors, same as the Weasley's. The Black family was cut from a different cloth entirely. Orion and Walburga Black were two of the most frightening people Ellie and Ari had even had the displeasure of meeting. In fact, the entire family was known for its cold heartedness, wealth, and cruelty.

Pureblood society was known for its elaborate Christmas Balls. A family was chosen months in advance to host, and preparation was made soon thereafter. When Ellie and Ari were eight years old they were officially old enough to attend their first Ball. That year, it was to be held at the Blacks' ancestral home, 12 Grimmauld Place. It was there that Ellie first met Sirius.

Ellie and Ari were forced into the frilliest dresses they'd ever worn. And to make it worse, the dresses were matching with the exception that Ellie's was emerald and Ari's was a deep red. Despite their festive appearance, the twins were not in the jolly mood when they'd arrived with their parents at the party.

After being paraded around and introduced to all the other families in attendance, the Stroud girls were now standing demurely in front of Orion and Walburga Black as well as their two boys.

Mistress Black was a haunting woman; her cheeks were sharp and her lips constantly pursed as if she found her surroundings distasteful. She was also unusually tall, towering over her husband who himself appeared bored with the formalities of introductions. Both were dressed in black, despite it being a Christmas Ball.

Just behind the severe couple stood two boys, who were pushed forward as Walburga introduced them.

"This is Sirius, my eldest. And Regulus, my youngest." She said. "Boys, say hello to Estella and Ariella Stroud."

Ellie was far from being old enough to find boys attractive, but years later she would recall thinking that the Black boys were startlingly pretty in an aristocratic sort of way. They looked nearly like twins except for the fact that Regulus was noticeably younger. Their black hair was styled similarly, and their grey eyes were near exact matches, Sirius's being just a shade darker.

Regulus and Ari each muttered a quiet 'hello' while Sirius and Ellie glared at the floor. After a sharp nudge from her mother, Ellie gritted out her own greeting causing Sirius to smirk before his own mother smacked the back of his head.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," he gritted out.

Once that formality was over with, the twins were left alone to mingle. They meandered around the house, sneaking sweets where they could from the platters that were floating around each room. After about an hour of wandering, Ellie noticed they had a shadow. Sirius had been following them room to room, keeping to the shadows as if to avoid detection.

She stalked over to the corner he was standing in and planted her fists on her hips. "Can we help you?" She demanded.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Don't flatter yourself, Stroud. I've been after the tray of pound cake. Mother doesn't want me to have any, so I'm trying to be discreet."

"Oh." _Well that was embarrassing_. "Well, you can't really blame her for refusing you. Those dress robes hardly fit as it is." Ellie tended to cover her embarrassment with insults.

Ari let out a gasp as Sirius glared at her. "At least I'm not dressed like one of Santa's elves threw up on me," he shot back.

"Why you—," Ellie stared towards the boy, murder on her mind, and managed to walk righting into a plate of champagne flutes that had wandered in front of her. The plate fell instantly, the sound of shattering glass echoing throughout the room. Dozens of eyes turned to Ellie.

She stood frozen as Walgura Black stormed into the room. When her eyes landed on the broken champagne flutes on the floor, furious grey eyes bored into Ellie. "Those were my mother's," she said angrily.

"I'm so so-sorry," Ellie stammered.

"Leave. Now."

Ellie's parents came to collect her and her sister, both fuming. They were drug out of the house and returned home where they were promptly locked in their room while their Father collected his switch.

Needless to say, the Stroud twins were never invited back to 12 Grimmauld Place.

So, when none other than Sirius Black appeared smirking next to James Potter, Ellie found herself _slightly_ agitated.

"What are _you_ doing here Black?" she narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

Grinning, he shook his wavy hair from his eyes, "How'd you manage to get into Hogwarts, Stroud? Mommy and daddy have to bribe the Headmaster?"

"That's not very nice," said Lily. She frowned and turned to James, "This compartment is full. Sorry, you'll have to find somewhere else to sit."

"Oh come on," James exclaimed, "You want to sit with the _Stroud_ twins and this oily git over us?"

Ellie was fairly sure Lily was about to explode. Her face turned red as she shot back at James.

"I'd prefer to sit with them over the two of you any day. Now LEAVE!"

James shrugged, "Suite yourself. Come on Sirius. Let's go find more pleasant company." The boys left, closing the door behind them.

"I hope I'm not sorted into the same house as them" Lily said, exasperatedly.

"You and me both, Lils", Ellie responded, "You and me both."


	3. Chapter 3

**September 1, 1971**

The rest of the journey to Hogwarts was uneventful. Ellie and Ari reassured Lily that just because they were purebloods did not mean that they couldn't be friends. Snape spent the remainder of the ride with his long nose stuck in a book, occasionally whispering something to Lily and shooting glares at Ellie, but so long as he didn't talk to her she didn't mind.

They arrived at Hogwarts just after dark, and Ellie, Ari, Lily, and Snape shared a boat up to the castle. During the ride, each of the children stared in awe at the place that would be their home for the next year. Lily, excited for a life in this new world; Snape, happy to be able to call someplace besides Spinners End home; Ari, anxious for a chance to prove herself to her parents; and Ellie, hoping that Hogwarts would be the one place she'd finally fit in.

They followed a witch called Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall. Above them, candles were suspended in mid-air and the ceiling was made of stars. The second through seventh year students looked on as the first years were led towards an old, torn hat McGonagall had set atop a stool.

McGonagall addressed the children, "When I call your name, you will come forward and sit on the stool, I will place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your Houses. Let us begin."

As the children around her were called forward, Ellie found herself thinking seriously for the first time about which House she would be placed in. Though her parents had all but demanded she go to Slytherin, Ellie herself had no idea which House she belonged to. Her brain told her Slytherin. After all, it was the home of many Strouds' during their time at Hogwarts. It was the House her parents expected her to be placed in. But her heart…Ellie wasn't sure what it wanted, but it certainly wasn't Slytherin.

Potter and Black were sorted into Gryffindor; the former was predictable, but the latter was surprising. _Who's ever heard of a Black in Gryffindor?_

"Slytherin!" Ellie watched as Snape was sorted and made his way over to the green clad table.

"Lily Evans" The next name was called out, interrupting Ellie's thoughts. She watched the red-head approach the hat. Within moments it was placed on her head and an emphasized "Gryffindor!" echoed throughout the Great Hall. Lily hoped off the stool and made her way to join the growing group of Gryffindor first years. _Gryffindor wouldn't be so bad. Despite those two awful boys…I mean, Lily seems nice enough, and Snape was placed in Slytherin…that's a plus. Maybe…_

"Estella Stroud."

Ellie's eyes shot up to meet those of her sister's. Ari took her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. After returning the gesture, Ellie let go and made her to way to the Sorting Hat. Every step felt like a lifetime, but sooner than she'd have liked, Ellie found herself on the stool with the hat on her head.

_Oooooh what have we here? A young pureblood! Mommy and Daddy want Slytherin I'm sure, however, that might not be the House for you. You are stubborn…yes…prideful…but loyal. You're going to have a long road ahead of you, girl. I hope you're prepared…_

"Gryffindor!" Ellie let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Hopping of the stool she made her way over to her new House's table and sat beside a very excited Lily.

"I'm so excited! We can be roommates! Do you think Ariella will get Gryffindor too?" Ellie's new-found happiness quickly left her. No, Ari would not be placed in Gryffindor. With their luck, she'd go to—

"Slytherin!"

Ellie's eyes quickly sought the student whose House had just been announced. Her eyes widened when she saw her sister making her way over to the Slytherin table. Mournfully, she watched as Ari took a seat next to the Snape boy and was immediately angered when he shot her sister a disgusted look and moved away from her. Ari looked up and met her sister's stare. Tears welled up in her eyes that were soon present in Ellie's as well.

"Oh, Ellie, I'm so sorry." Lily put a hand on her arm, drawing her attention away from her sister, "It's the same with Severus and I—"

"Are you and _Severus_ identical twin sisters who have never in their entire lives spent a day apart and are now being forced to not only sleep in separate dormitories, but to also support a house rivalry that dates back to the Hogwarts founders?"

"Well, no, I just—" Lily stammered, surprised at Ellie's outburst.

"So who's the black sleep? You or sissy?" A third voice interrupted the girl's conversation.

"Oh greeeeat. It's _you _two." Lily bemoaned. Ellie's thoughts echoed the other girl's sentiment upon realizing that Sirius Black was the one who had asked the question. His shadow, James, was sitting next to him.

"None of your business, _Black_. Now bugger off," Ellie was in no mood to deal with Sirius's attitude or James's for that matter. Their encounter on the train made it clear to Ellie that James Potter and Sirius Black were not going to make her time at Hogwarts easy.

"Why don't the two of you sit next to someone who wants to put up with you?" Lily told the boys.

"Aw, Lily-flower, don't be like that," Potter whined. Sirius laughed at his new best friend's dramatics.

While Lily held off their new housemates, Ellie looked over to her sister. Ari looked slightly less miserable. Though Snape was still ignoring her, an older girl seemed to be taking her sister under her wing. In fact, she noted, the girl looked slightly familiar. Ellie let out a groan when she realized that Ari's new friend was none other than Narcissa Black.

_Bugger_. Ellie thought. _That's not exactly who I'd have preferred she become friends with_. Ellie shook her head. _It seems like the whole Black family just won't leave us Stroud girls alone_.

Ellie's attention was drawn from her sister as the Headmaster stood to make his start of year speech. Dumbledore was an old and kind looking wizard. There was something about him that had Ellie taking to him instantly. The children sat through his announcements about the dark forest and forbidden Zonko's products. Finally, he concluded and food appeared in front of the students.

"Oh my goodness," Lily exclaimed, "I've never seen so much food before! Where does it all come from?"

"Pretty sure there's elves that work a kitchen somewhere," Black replied with a mouthful of mashed potatoes, "I wonder where it is…" he chewed thoughtfully.

"You and me both, mate," said Potter. "Oi, Remus. Any mention in those books of yours about a kitchen somewhere?"

Ellie turned her attention to the boy Potter was addressing. He had hair much lighter that Sirius and James. His face looked pale and tired, almost sickly, and shabby clothes hung loosely from his body. She found herself concerned for him and wondered what a boy like this was doing hanging out with two gits like Potter and Black.

"Um, no," Remus replied, "I haven't come across anything about the kitchen."

"We'll just have to go looking for it ourselves then," Potter said with a grin. At the declaration, the three boys stuck their heads together to discuss exploration plans. To her horror, Ellie found herself wanting to listen in.

"Can you believe that?" Lily shook her head at the group of boys. "They're going to be trouble. Mark my words. Can you imagine? Sneaking about the castle in search of hidden rooms, they've got some nerve!"

Ellie gave her new friend a weak smile. _That's exactly what I'm imagining. It would be so much fun!_ Her mother's warning at the train station came to mind. No, it was bad enough that Ellie was placed in Gryffindor. She could already imagine the punishment awaiting her at home. It would be best if Ellie just focused on her studies and staying out of trouble. Like Ari.

After dinner was finished the Prefects led the first years to their respective common rooms. The Gryffindor girls were shown to their dormitories. Lily and Ellie were indeed roommates along with a girl named Mary McDonald and another named Lucille Johnson. Mary seemed quite and friendly, she reminded Ellie of her sister. Lucille, or Lucy as she quite literally demanded to be called, was far more outgoing and opinionated, but was no less friendly. Ellie was very much looking forward to spending the next seven years with these girls.

As they prepared for bed, Ellie picked up a picture of her and Ari as young children. Placing it on her bedside table, she fought back tears. This was the first night in all their eleven years that she and her twin were sleeping in separate rooms. Lily sat next to Ellie on the bed and put a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"It'll be alright, Ellie. You'll see."

Forcing a smile, Ellie laid her head on Lily's shoulder. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that her new friend was very, very wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**December** **1971**

Ari missed her sister terribly. The twins had been at Hogwarts for a little over three months now, and in that time, they had only seen one another on a handful of occasions. In an effort to get over the loss of her sister, Ari spent the first couple of weeks attempting to socialize with her new Housemates. However, she soon realized that quiet, studious first years were not well liked by the majority of Slytherin House. When her friend-making efforts went awry, Severus, who was best friends with her sister's friend Lily Evans, was not inclined to spend time with her either. When not with Lily, her fellow Slytherin spent most of his time with the older students, namely Malfoy, Avery, Mulciber and other boys in that particularly unseemly group.

Snape also spent a lot of his time avoiding James Potter and Sirius Black. The Gryffindor duo had developed a bad habit of pranking him relentlessly. On the rare occasion that Ari did see her sister, it was usually right after an altercation between the three boys. Ellie would appear alongside Lily, catching up with Ari (who had many classes with Severus and often found herself following him to class) whilst keeping an ear glued to the conversation. Lily's "volume" made that relatively easy to do. One such meeting happened just a week ago.

Ari was following Severus from Potions to Defense when James stepped in front of him and knocked his books to the ground.

"Watch where you're going, _Snivellus_," the boy sneered. Sirius Black looked on with a similar expression on his face. As Severus knelt to pick up his, James took another step towards him.

"Stop right there, Potter!" Lily shouted from down the corridor.

Upon her approach, Ari took a step back from the group and mentally prepared for yet another confrontation. A confrontation during which Lily would yell at James, James would flirt with Lily, Severus would insult Sirius and James, Ellie (who had arrived with Lily) would casually discuss homework with Ari, and Sirius would laugh at everyone.

* * *

After the long months apart, things finally got back to normal over the Christmas holidays. The twins spent the entire train ride home catching up and swapping stories. They once again sat with Lily and Severus, the latter of whom appeared more than a little resentful of this fact.

An irate looking Mrs. Stroud welcomed the girls off the train. Ari was quizzed on her studies and teachers while Ellie was all but ignored.

Later that night, the twins lay in bed talking to one another. More specifically, Ellie was talking about Lily and how much she hated Black and Potter while Ari listened. This continued for several minutes, until Ari sat up in bed and flicked on the light to address her sister.

"Ellie, have you been avoiding me?"

"What?" her sister turned to her, appalled, "No, of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Well, it's just...You're always with Lily, and I thought that, maybe..." Ari trailed off.

"That I'd replaced you?" Ellie's expression softened at the look on her twin's face.

"No! Well, yes...sort of," Ari continued, "I just miss you is all. We never see each other anymore except during class and in the hallways."

"You're the one who stays in the library all the time, Ari. I don't ever even see you at meals," Ellie chided.

"I know, I know. Can we just...try a little harder? To spend time together I mean."

Sighing, Ellie got out of bed at joined Ari in hers. Sitting in front of her sister, she took Ari's hands in her own.

"I promise you," she swore, "that we will see each other more. It'll be difficult what with us being in different Houses and all, but we'll make it work."

"I hate that I was placed in Slytherin and not Gryffindor. No one talks to me expects Narcissa, and she's a third years so she doesn't have much time for me," Ari complained.

"On that matter, you really should stay away from Narcissa, Ari. You know she's practically engaged to that horrid Malfoy boy. They're both nothing but trouble," she scolded.

"Oh, but she's so sweet to me. At least, she is so long as Bella isn't-"

"Bella? You call her Bella?" Ellie barked at Ari.

Shying away from her sister, Ari stammered, "N-no. Not really. That's just what all the others call her and it's sort of stuck in my head."

"Well _un_-stick it!"

"A-alright..."

"Promise me, Ari! Promise me that you'll stay away from them! It's bad enough that Snape follows them around like a lost puppy. I have to hear about that often enough from Lily. I don't need my own sister getting mixed up with that lot, too."

"I promise."

"Good," Ellie got up and climbed into her own bed. She lay down and pulled the covers to her chin. Ari reached over and put out the light. The sisters lay quietly in the dark for a while before Ellie spoke.

"Hey, Ari?"

"Yes?"

"I love you, and I didn't mean to shout at you."

"I know Ellie. I love you too."

The silence continued for a while longer. Ari thought her sister had fallen asleep until Ellie spoke up again.

"Hey, Ari?"

"Yes, Ellie."

"Do you think there's any lemon tart in the kitchen?" Chuckling, Ari closed her eyes and went to sleep.

The rest of the holidays passed relatively quickly. Ari read and did her school work while Ellie teased the house elf and aggravated their parents. When the time came to return to Hogwarts the two girls practically ran back to the train.

True to her word, Ellie made an honest effort to spend more time with her sister at school. Ari sat with Ellie and the other Gryffindors during meals and Ellie, in turn, joined Ari in the library during breaks. Surprisingly, the library wasn't as horrendous as she'd thought it would be. Her fellow Gryffindor, Remus Lupin, sat with them whenever he needed a break from Potter and Black. Ari and Ellie both enjoyed the boy's company. He was quiet, but when he did speak it was often to correct one of the twin's assignments or to help Ellie study. He was certainly intelligent and eventually, with his and Ari's (and occasionally Lily's) help, Ellie's grades began to improve.

* * *

Sooner than they'd have liked, it was time for the students return go home for the summer. Ellie and Ari especially were not happy at the prospect of going back to Stroud Manor.

"You will write, won't you?" Lily asked Ellie as they stepped off the Hogwarts Express and into the waiting crowd of parents. Snape had run ahead to collect his and Lily's things.

"I'll try. I've told you how my parents are. If they find out I'm friends with a Muggleborn…"

"Oh come on Ellie, it can't possibly be that bad," Lily complained.

"Trust me, Lils it's—"

"_Ellie_!" Ari whispered frantically from her position behind her sister.

"What, Ari?" Ellie asked exasperatedly as she turned around. Ellie came face to face with the very reason Ari had interrupted her and Lily, "Oh…hello, Mother."

Lorella Stroud greeted her eldest daughter with a blank state. Her blue eyes flicked from Ellie to Lily. "Who is your friend, Estella," she asked while directing her gaze towards Lily who suddenly found the ground very interesting.

"Mother, this is Lily Evans. Lily, this is my—"

"What a peculiar name. 'Evans'. Tell me, Lily dear, what do your parents do?" Lorella inquired.

"Oh, um, w-well…they aren't…um…," Lily faltered.

"_I knew it!_" Mrs. Stroud hissed, her pleasant countenance quickly shifting to scorn at the presence of the girl. She grabbed Lily's arm and pulled the red-head towards her. Bending down, Ellie's mother put her lips to Lily's ear and whispered, "Listen to me you _filthy _mudblood. You will stay far away from my daughters. People like you aren't worth the ground they walk on," She then let go of the trembling girl, acting as if the touch of her burned her skin.

Gathering her nerve, Ellie took a step towards her mother, "Mother! Why on earth did you-?"

Mrs. Stroud's hand shot out and mimicked the hold she just had on Lily's arm.

"You will watch your tone with me, girl." She commanded and then took a calming breath, "Now, go with your sister and collect your things. I will wait for you here. Understood?"

Ellie nodded her head solemnly. Looking past her mother, she saw Lily still standing a few feet away. Catching the other girl's eyes, she mouthed, "I'm sorry" and turned to make her way towards her sister. When Ellie reached her, Ari took her hand and the two made their way over to the unclaimed luggage.

_Merlin_, Ellie thought, _it's going to be a long summer._


	5. Chapter 5

**June 1976 (End of fifth year)**

"Merlin, Lils! Are you trying to scalp me?" Ellie grumbled again when she felt Lily rake the brush through her hair once more. You'd think after nearly five years of this torture she'd be used to it by now.

"I think you take pleasure in this," she mumbled. Mary laughed from her position on Ellie's bed.

Ellie's hair, like her sister's, had become a shade darker as they got older—once a light blonde, it now resembled dark honey. Only now, Ari maintained hers at shoulder length while Ellie's hung near her lower back, hence the need to have Lily brush it from time to time.

Lily had held no hard feelings towards Ellie after her run-in with Mrs. Stroud all those years ago. Ellie had, after all, warned her that her mother wouldn't be accepting of their friendship. The only thing to change was that every year, Lily made sure to say her goodbyes to the twins on the train, well before any member of their family showed up. So far, there hadn't been another confrontation.

Ellie and Ari had remained close until the beginning of the year. They had passed the summer gossiping and studying—yes, even Ellie cracked open a book. Every now and then their parents would force them out of the house to attend some horrid social gathering, during which the girls would wander off by themselves to explore. But, for whatever reason, that closeness had ended about five months into their fourth year. At first, Ari had stopped sitting with Ellie and Lily at meals. Later, she began to make excuses to miss their library sessions. It wasn't until just two weeks ago, nearly three months since she'd last spoken to her twin, that Ellie found out why.

**May 1976**

"_What in Merlin's name are you thinking, Ari! _Evan Rosier_? Of all the boys you could choose to have a fling with you choose __**Evan Rosier**__?" Ellie had finally caught up to Ari after their DADA class. Needless to say, she had a few choice words for her twin after overhearing another Slytherin in the class ask her about her sister's relationship with the older boy._

"_It's not a 'fling' Ellie! We actually happen to like each other. Not all Slytherins are as terrible as you make them out to be!" Ari shot back, anger seeping into her usually dulcet voice._

"_Make them out to be? It's how they ARE! The whole lot of them are a bunch of sneaky, conniving, manipulative—"_

"_Am I all of those things?" The unexpected vulnerability in Ari's voice made Ellie pause._

"_Well…no. But you're my sister. You're different."_

"_I'm still a Slytherin though aren't I? And to be fair, if those are the qualities of Slytherin house, I daresay those two terrible boys in Gryffindor are in need of a re-sorting."_

"_It's just harmless pranking, Ariella. I've done the same since I was a child. You've helped!"_

"_Tripping Severus? Using a permanent sticking charm to keep his books closed? Pushing him down stairs? That's what you call harmless? It's outright cruel, Ellie! Even most Slytherins wouldn't do something like that," Ari reasoned._

"_Right, they'd just torture and kill him instead," Ellie shot back at her sister._

"_You are the most ignorant, closed minded person I have ever met. You're no better than they are, Ellie!" Her sister's words felt like a punch to the stomach._

_Shaking her head, Ellie tried to brush off her sister's words, "Listen to me, Ari. You need to stop seeing Rosier. He's __**evil**__!"_

_"Stop." Ari held up a hand. "Just…just stop. I'm not a little girl anymore. I can make my own decisions."_

_Ellie nodded in agreement, "Well, I hope you know that this 'decision' is not one that I'll be supporting. Until you choose to end this...thing you've got going with Rosier, stay away from me. I won't watch my own sister become a Death Eater." With that, Ari was left standing in the corridor, looking at her sister's back as Ellie stormed away from her._

Since their argument, Ellie and Ari had not spoken to one another. Even when they passed in the corridors they put their heads down and kept walking. The whole situation upset Ellie greatly. She'd had such a close relationship with her twin; the girls were nearly inseparable before coming to Hogwarts. But now, Ari was spending more and more time with the other Slytherins, Narcissa and Rosier especially. As far as she knew, Ari hadn't ended her relationship with the boy like she'd expected her to. The Slytherin couple was still together. In fact, Ellie had heard they'd been caught snogging in a broom closet just yesterday evening.

After her and her sister's falling out, Ellie had grown a lot closer to Lily. The two girls were nearly inseparable now. They had many of the same classes and spent the majority of their free time studying for their OWLs with Mary and Remus. It was an easy, near perfect friendship.

Elli was drawn out of her thoughts by another sharp tug at her scalp.

"Damn it to hell, Lily!" Ellie exclaimed angrily, snatching the brush from her friend's hand as Mary laughed.

"You're such a little girl," Lily scolded, "It's nearly time to go anyway. Don't want to be late!"

It was almost time for the fifth years Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL. Lily and Remus had been helping her study for weeks, but just the thought of the examination made Ellie's stomach twist. _Ugh, I'm going to be sick._

Mary put a reassuring hand on her shoulder having seen the grimace on her friend's face, "You're going to do fine, but really, we need to go or we'll all fail for tardiness." Agreeing with her, the three girls made their way to the exam room.

_Merlin, I'm so glad that's over. _Using up nearly all the allotted time to complete it, Ellie believed she'd done well-enough on her DADA examination. She certainly hadn't failed it. _At least I got the werewolf question right_, she smirked at her own joke. Poor Remus didn't know that Lily and Ellie knew his secret, but honestly, any fool with a brain could have put the clues together.

Ellie and Mary had finally made it back to the girls' dormitory to begin studying for their next exam. Lily was supposed to have joined them, but Ellie had the sinking suspicion that her friend had gone down to the lake to enjoy the outdoors for a bit—she had a habit of doing so.

_Blast! She was supposed to have come straight here!_

"Are you sure that's the spell? I thought for sure the answer was—," Mary's question was interrupted by the sound of the door slamming open. Ellie's eyes widened as a very distraught Lily entered the room and threw herself onto her bed, sobbing.

Mary and Ellie exchanged startled looks. Getting up from Mary's bed, Ellie went over to Lily's and sat next to the hysterical girl.

"What happened, Lils?" Ellie asked while pushing her friend's red hair away from her tear-streaked face.

"H-he called me a-a Mudblood!" Lily wailed.

"What!" Ellie and Mary shouted simultaneously.

"Who called you that, Lily?" Mary asked as she joined the two girls on the bed.

Ignoring Mary's question, Lily continued, "Why would he say that to me, Ellie? After all these years? He was my best friend! Why would he treat me like that?" Lily returned her head to the pillow she was clutching in front of her and resumed crying.

"You aren't talking about Snape…are you?" Ellie asked hesitantly. Lily cried harder in response.

"Oh honey," Ellie said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"He did! Black and that toe-rag Potter were picking on him again. I tried to make them stop, but Sev yelled and said he didn't need help from a 'filthy m-mudblood' and told me to go a-away!"

Ellie fumed, angry at the fact that Snape managed had hurt Lily so badly. She'd never seen her friend so upset. Her hysterics made Ellie want to march right over to the Slytherin Common Room and give _Snivellus_ a piece of her mind. However, she knew how important their friendship was to Lily_, _and she spoke her next words purely out of love for her friend._ I should get an award for this._

"Lily, love, I know he didn't mean what he said. Snape was embarrassed and angry. He'll be here any minute to apologize. I'm sure of—"

"No! I want nothing to do with him anymore. You've told me over and over again that he's mixed with the wrong crowd. I've noticed it too, but I'd hoped…I'd hoped I was wrong. I should've listened to you earlier, Ellie. I just didn't think he had it in him to treat me this way." She tucked her head into the pillow again and resumed crying.

The other girls sat quietly on Lily's bed trying to comfort their friend. Mary held one of Lily's hands in hers and Ellie ran a hand over Lily's hair. For the first time in a long time, neither one could think of a thing to say.

Sure enough, later that night Mary walked into the Common Room and told Lily that Snape was outside begging her to come talk to him.

"I have nothing to say to him" Lily said, stubbornly.

"It might do you some good, Lils," Ellie said, looking up from her position on the floor in front of the fire.

"I don't want to talk to him," Lily replied insistently.

"I know you don't, but it might be the best thing. Closure and all that drivel."

Lily rolled her eyes. "…Fine. I'll be right back." The redhead stood up and made her way to the Fat Lady.

Mary had journeyed upstairs, and Lily had been gone for a couple of minutes when Ellie decided to return her attention to her Transfiguration notes. Before she could begin studying she was startled by the sound of a throat clearing above her. Looking up, the grim face of James Potter greeted her.

"What do you want?" Ellie asked accusingly, eyes narrowing.

"I-uh," James cleared his throat again, "I heard Lily was pretty upset about what happened earlier by the lake."

"Gee, ya think? Merlin James, they've been best friends for over five years! You couldn't have just kept up with the usual pranks? You pushed him too far!"

"How was I supposed to know he'd freak out like that? And _you_ told me Lily wasn't going to be around!"

"She wasn't supposed to be! I thought she'd go straight back to the Common Room after the exam. I'd asked her to meet Mary and me here."

"Well obviously, she didn't," James knelt to the floor and sat beside Ellie.

"Yes Potter, _obviously_, she didn't." Ellie sighed, "I guess I can't really fault you. The end result was better than anticipated I suppose. Minus the Lily being distraught part of course, but she'll come 'round eventually. At least Snivellus is out of the picture," Ellie mused.

"You're insane. You know that right?" James replied as he scanned over Ellie's Transfiguration notes.

It hadn't been until their fourth year that Ellie began treating Potter and Black with anything besides unfriendliness. To be fair, they weren't exactly saints to her either. After their meeting on the train in first year, the boys had insulted and pranked Ellie whenever they could. For a time, they almost bullied her as much as Snape. The only difference was that Ellie, unlike poor Snivellus, knew exactly how to get back at them, and she'd finally snapped at the end of their fourth year….


	6. Chapter 6

**June 1975 (flashback to end of fourth year)**

"_Shhh! Be quiet Lily!" Ellie hissed._

"_You're going to get me into trouble!"_

"_Lily-dear, I've been hearing that since I was old enough to walk. And it's only been true…about seventy-five percent of the time." Ellie snickered at the horrified look that appeared on her friend's face._

"_Look," she continued, "just be look out and stall anyone who tries to come up." Ellie hurried up the stairs to the boys' dormitory before Lily could change her mind._

_Earlier that day, Potter and Black had managed to sneak a spider into Ellie's schoolbag. Ellie didn't really mind the creature, but she wasn't thrilled when it was made to crawl up her back and into her hair. She had stood up, screaming, in the middle of Transfiguration. Needless to say, Professor McGonagall did not find the incident amusing and had given Ellie detention for disrupting class. It was in that moment that Ellie decided her four-year pranking hiatus needed to end. Parent's instructions be damned._

_So, now she was making her way to the fourth-year boys' dormitory in order to issue a little payback. Ellie entered the room and made her way over to what she assumed was Black's bed—the muggle rock band posters surrounding it were a clear indication it was. Opening her bag, she pulled out the bugs she had collected on the way there and placed them under the sheets. Ellie made her way over to Potter's bed and repeated the process. She then left the room, a grin spread across her face._

_Sometime that night, the girls were awakened to shouts from the Common Room._

"_What the bloody hell?" Lucy muttered as she sat up in bed and flicked on the light. Mary merely groaned and covered her face with her pillow._

"_I'll go see what's happening," Ellie volunteered, though she knew exactly what was going on. She shared a knowing look with Lily as she got out of bed and made her way to the Common Room._

"_Merlin!" Black was shouting, "What the hell are these things?"_

_A small crowd had gathered around Black and Potter. Both boys were in their pajamas and in the process of pulling their shirts over their heads. Black seemed to be having more trouble than his friend. He gave up on getting the shirt off and instead, sat down and began vigorously scratching his legs. After managing to finally get it off, Potter's shirt was thrown to the ground fiercely, and he began scratching his chest with equal enthusiasm._

"_It looks like the Scottish Tatchs Beetle," Remus said, examining one of the bugs from Potter's shirt, "It's native to the area, but I'm not exactly sure how so many got into your—"_

"_Isn't it obvious?" Black shrieked, still scratching fiercely, "__**She**__ put them there!" Heads turned to follow Black's pointed finger and a dozen eyes landed on Ellie._

"_Me? Why is Merlin's name would I do something like that?" She asked incredulously._

"_You know why," Potter gritted through his teeth._

_Smiling, Ellie walked towards him, "Yeah?" She took a step closer to the boy and whispered in his ear, "Prove it." With a full-fledged grin, she left a baffled Potter staring after her as she returned to bed._

**June 1976**

After the beetle incident last year, James had started treating Ellie with a little more respect. Black was still weary of her, and she of him, but he followed his friend's lead and refrained from making her life a living hell—which was nice. The three had quickly bonded over a shared loathing for all things Slytherin. James's hatred didn't run quite as deep as Ellie's and Black's, who had grown up in pureblood Slytherin families, but he did seem to genuinely dislike Snivellus. Form time to time, the boys would ask Ellie for her help in pranking him. Usually, she was tasked with the job of keeping Lily away from the scene of the prank. Today for instance, Ellie had let Potter know that Snivellus would be headed to the lake after their OWL for Defense and that Lily (supposedly) would not be anywhere near him.

This obviously did not go according to plan.

Ellie glanced over to her friend. It was her fault just as much as his that Lily was so upset right now. Her sister's words from earlier in the year crept to the forefront of her mind.

"_You're no better than they are!" She'd shouted._

_Psssh. Of course I'm better than they are._ Ellie reasoned with herself. _Snivellus deserves everything that happens to him. Look at what he called Lily for Merlin's sake!_

No, all Slytherins were dark wizards and needed to be knocked down a peg. _Perhaps James and I should consider Rosier…_

But Ellie knew they'd be no match for that particular Slytherin. He and the other, older students were well versed in dueling and dark arts. It was a known fact that many of the Slytherin seventh years would be finishing at Hogwarts and joining You-Know-Who as Death Eaters. Rosier, who was a sixth year, would follow right behind them the year after.

"Oi, Prongs, what's going on?" A deep voice pulled Ellie from her thoughts. Looking up from her place by the fire, she met the grey eyes of Sirius Black.

"Oh, joy, the cavalry has arrived," she muttered.

"Shut it, Stroud. I wasn't talking to you," Her less than friendly acquaintance shot back.

Over the years, Black had grown tall, though not as tall as James, who stood just over six feet. When they'd returned to school after summer holiday, his voice had dropped and the combination of his new, low rumble and ridiculously good looks and not gone unnoticed by the Hogwarts female population; Ellie included. At fifteen Black had had more girlfriends than most seventh year boys in the school. There was even a rumor that he'd managed to snog a sixth year Ravenclaw before Christmas. Ellie was convinced that the girl had to have been a Hufflepuff. Surely someone as intelligent as a Ravenclaw wouldn't get mixed up with a prick like Sirius Black. Not that Ellie cared, of course.

James was also uncommonly handsome. His hair still stuck out in all directions and he'd developed the annoying habit of running his fingers through it every time Lily was near. Several years on the Quidditch pitch had toned his body and even Ellie had to admit that he was attractive. _Though not as attractive as Black, _she mused.

Unfortunately, both boys knew the affect they had on girls and this inflated their egos all the more. James especially seemed to think that his good looks alone should have Lily begging to go out with him. This was, of course, an ignorant assumption on his part. He'd started asking Lily to Hogsmeade early in the year, and now, it was a near daily occurrence. Ellie found the whole thing highly amusing at first, but it quickly became bothersome, and she was beginning to wish her friend would say 'yes' just to shut the boy up.

"_Please Lily? Just one date and I swear I won't ask again!" James pleaded. It was his fourth time asking Lily out…that week._

_Lifting her head from where she'd slammed in down on the table five minutes ago when he'd appeared, Ellie also begged, "For fuck's sake Lil's, it's just a date! Spare us all this misery and say 'yes'!" Remus hid a grin and Black nodded enthusiastically in rare agreement, as usual, his mouth too stuffed with food to speak._

"_Why don't you go with him then?" Lily shot back at Ellie, "I'd be more inclined to go to Hogsmeade with a toad!" Lily finished firmly and left the table._

_Ellie groaned and returned her head to its resting spot in between the toast and eggs._

Ellie snickered at the memory. Poor James wasn't any nearer to Lily saying 'yes' today than he was at that breakfast weeks ago, especially not after the Snivellus incident earlier today.

"Bad luck, Pads. Lily is supposedly very upset about the-uh-_incident_ that happened today."

"You mean the Snivellus-lost-his-pants incident?"

"Yep. That's the one," Ellie confirmed.

Black rolled his eyes, "Oh, come on. It's just Snape! Surely she can't be that upset about it, he's a Slytherin!"

Suddenly as if to answer him, a very angry and crying Lily ran passed the three students and towards the girls' stairs.

Before she went up, she turned to Ellie's two companions and yelled, "I hate the both of you! None of this would have happened if you'd have just left him alone!" Lily turned her heel and ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, leaving a wide-eyed Ellie and Black and an open-mouthed James staring after her.

After a moment, Ellie sighed and began collecting her Transfiguration books. "Best go see what happened."

"Good luck with that, Stroud."

"You're a git, Potter."


	7. Chapter 7

**September 1, 1976**

"I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am to be back", Ellie said, flopping down on the couch.

It was the first day back at Hogwarts after an incredibly long and dreary summer. The students had just finished the welcoming feast and were now situating themselves in their respective Common Rooms. Lily, Mary, and Ellie had seated themselves on the couch in front of the fire, the three girls having already unpacked their belongings.

"The holiday was that bad for you?" Mary asked.

"Oh Merlin, Mary, don't even get her started," Lily rolled eyes and faked-whispered to the girl, "She wouldn't shut up about it the entire way here." Laughing, Ellie threw a pillow in her friend's face.

Lily was right though, she hadn't seemed to be able to stop ranting about how terrible her time away from Hogwarts had been for the whole duration of the train ride. It had been the summer before her and Ari's sixth year, and Ellie had hoped that whatever tension had accumulated during their fifth year would have dissipated by the time they returned home. Unfortunately, what should have been an exciting several weeks to spend with each other was, instead, several of the most miserable weeks of Ellie's life.

On the train home, Ari—much to Ellie's surprise—chose to share a compartment with her fellow Slytherins. On a passing glace while walking the train, she saw that Rosier, Mulciber, and Narcissa were among Ari's companions. Since Lily refused to sit with Snape, understandably, and the two girls didn't want to keep a whole compartment to themselves, they made the grim decision to sit with James, Remus, Peter, and Black. Lily had stewed in silence for the majority of the ride. Occasionally she would make small talk with Ellie or Remus, but she spent most of the time staring out of the window. James, thankfully, had the common sense to understand that now was not the time to pester her about their 'relationship'.

Ellie knew that her friend's argument with Snape that year had affected the girl more than she'd let on. She tried to be sympathetic, really she did, but the mere fact that Snape was a Slytherin was enough for her to reasonably justify everything that had happened to the boy. Honestly, she was glad Lily was finally rid of him. She was hurting now, but Lily was going to be so much better off without that greasy git in her life.

Ariella on the other hand, well, Ellie was very confident that her sister would come to her senses sooner or later. Shy, gentle, bookish Ari had no place in a group of future Death Eaters, despite her dating one. No, Ellie would speak to her twin over the summer, and the two would go back to being as close as they had always been.

Ellie couldn't know how very wrong she was.

* * *

_**Early July 1976**_

"_I'm going to be staying with Narcissa until school resumes," Ari had unexpectedly declared while the twins were heading to their room after their first dinner back at home. The meal had been a tense affair. Both Mr. and Mrs. Stroud went to great efforts to ignore Ellie entirely and focus their attention on the one child that made them proud. Admittedly, she should have been thankful for their silence towards her, but Ellie found herself missing the muttered insults and constant glares that were typically thrown her way._

_At her sister's declaration, Ellie froze in the middle of the staircase, "What? Why?" She asked incredulously._

"_Cissy and I are friends, to start. I also think there's a lot I could learn from them. Mother and Father agree. They wanted me to try and convince you to come as well, but well, I really don't want you there." Ari replied, her tone monotonous and the indifferent expression on her face a clear indictor that she was quite bored by the conversation._

_Ellie took a step back from her sister, horrified at the stranger standing before her._

"_What's happened to you, Ariella?"_

_Ari, whose back was turned away from Elli, also stopped her ascent up the staircase. Standing with her back straight, blonde hair just touching her shoulders, Ellie was struck by the thought that her twin was beginning to look and act very much like their mother._

_Finally, Ari turned around to meet her sister's stare. Two sets of hazel eyes clashed; one filled with disappointment and the other eerily void of any reminder of the once joyous and care-free girl that owned them._

"_Times are changing Ellie," Ari said. "There's a war coming, and I've chosen my side. It's time you do the same."_

_The next morning Ari was gone._

The rest of Ellis's summer passed uneventfully and horribly, horribly slowly. With Ari gone to stay with the Black girls, the manor's only other occupants were her mother, father, the house elf, and various servants—none of which were very pleasant company. Her father was at work constantly, often staying well past the time supper was served. Some nights he wouldn't even come home. In the mornings after such an evening, her mother would sit quietly and regally at the breakfast table, sipping her tea and appearing oblivious to the fact that Mr. Stroud had just stumbled through the door looking like Death himself. On one occasion, Ellie had tried to ask her mother what was going on, but a fairly pointed glare had silenced her before she'd even got the full question out.

The only entertainment Ellie had was writing to her friends. She kept up with Lily on a near daily basis. Both girls were having trouble coping with the essential loss of someone close to them, and they were beginning to depend heavily on one another for support and advice. Surprisingly, Remus also owled Ellie every week or so. As much as she loved Lily, it was nice to have someone else to communicate with. Remus was more forward in his letters than he was in person, and Ellie often times found herself laughing aloud at some joke or interesting fact he'd included in his correspondence with her. Much to her astonishment, Potter even sent her an owl a time or two. Their letters were short, each just asking how the other was doing (and James often asking after Lily), but his friendship made Ellie happy nonetheless.

Needless to say, the first time her parents intercepted her letters Ellie was denied supper by her mother and sent to her room with a red, smarting cheek when her father arrived home.

* * *

**September 1, 1976**

So, yes, Ellie was very glad to be back at Hogwarts.

"Hey Lily, did the attack in Littlehampton make it into the Muggle papers?" Mary asked after situating herself on the floor with her back up against the couch.

"The murder, right? It did. The authorities said it was some sort of gas leak. That was a cover up obviously; no fire does damage like that." A somber expression crossed the red-head's face.

Ellie nodded in agreement. The Daily Prophet has also reported on the incident; however, their story was much more accurate than the Muggles' news. The Muller's, a family of four, had all been found in the living room, dead, with their faces frozen in expressions of extreme agony. The Cruciatus Curse more than likely. The house had then been set ablaze. Muggle firefighters had managed to put the fire out before any real damage was done, and were probably very surprised to discover that their arson was also a homicide case.

"Do you think the Minister for Magic had anything to do with the cover up?" Lily asked, a frown deepening on her face.

"Oh I'm sure of it," Ellie responded, "Think about it, Lils. These attacks have been getting progressively worse the last few years. It all started with, what, the random muggle disappearances? Then muggleborns missing and now murders? The Minister is trying to keep morale high and avoid a panic."

The girls entered into a rare subdued moment. After a time Lily lifted her head from where it rested on Ellie's shoulder and broke the silence.

"I'm muggleborn," she turned to Ellie, "You don't think…you don't think I'm in any danger, do you?" she asked shakily, her green eyes wide and filled with fear.

Ellie found it difficult to meet her friend's eyes. Mary, who had turned around when Lily began speaking, returned her attention to the fire.

"I think you need to start being careful, Lily," Ellie finally said, "Things are only going to get worse."

**October 1976**

"Leave me alone you arrogant prick!" Ellie winced at Lily's screeching and poor Peter looked as if he was fighting the urge to cover his ears.

"Lily-flower, please, just one date. We'll go get butterbeer, take a nice walk, visit the Shrieking Shack; I hear it's haunted you know—Ow! _Damnit_ Remus that hurt—Lily! Hey!" James let out a pained grunt when the enchantment placed on the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory threw him backwards and to the ground. Lily continued up the stairs, leaving groaning James—and the book Remus had hurled at him—on the floor behind her.

They'd been back at Hogwarts for just over a month now. In that time, James had asked Lily out roughly…well, every day.

Somehow, the boy had grown taller over the summer. He now stood at at least 6'2" and towered over the 5'4" Ellie. Someone, thank Merlin, had convinced him to cut his hair as it appeared slightly less disheveled. Unfortunately, keeping his hair somewhat tidy wasn't incentive enough to stop him from running his hand through it every time he saw Lily.

Lily had also changed over the summer. Her hair was longer and a slightly darker shade of red. Several of the freckles around her nose seemed to have disappeared as well. Ellie looked from her best friend to James, _They really would make an adorable couple_, she mused.

"That was a bit—er—aggressive don't you think mate?" Black asked. He was sitting in one of the several desks spread throughout the Common Room. Supposedly studying, though Ellie doubted he'd even opened a book, Black had turned the desk chair around and was leaning back on just two of its legs. _I hope he winds up on the floor as well, _Ellie thought.

Like his friend, Sirius Black had also managed to become more attractive over the summer holiday. Unlike James, who kept himself clean shaven, Black let a small amount of stubble remain on his face. His hair was as wavy as ever and just touched his shoulders. To her horror, Ellie found herself constantly fighting the desire to reach out during class and run her fingers through it. Suffice it to say, Sirius Black was extremely attractive.

Ellie, who was seated next to Remus and Peter around a table, grabbed a piece of her hair and examined it. It had dulled in color as she'd grown older, now taking on a honey color. She was lucky enough to have been blessed with volume, but waves and frizz required Ellie to keep her hair in a high ponytail. She then turned her thoughts to the rest of her body. She was of average height for teenage girl, just an inch or so taller than the 5'3' Lily. She also took notice of the fact that over the summer her chest had filled out rather nicely. Lily had certainly seemed to think so at least. She herself didn't seem to be more than a B cup and wouldn't stop complaining to Ellie about the 'injustice' of it all.

James's response to Black's earlier question took Ellie from her reflection.

"I'm getting desperate, Padfoot," James said after he'd stood up and brushed himself off, "I've only got two more years to get her to agree. Ellie, love, you'll put in a good word for me, right?" James lowered himself to his knees in front of her chain and took his hands in hers, "Please? Do you want me to beg?"

Laughing, Ellie pushed his hands off of hers, "Get off me, you big ugly sissy. I'm trying to finish my potions essay for Slughorn."

James stood and settled himself in another nearby chair. "Oh I see how it is. You're marks are more important than my love life," he dropped his head in exaggerated sorrow.

Remus saw this as an opportunity to throw another book at him.

"Ow! Merlin, Moony!"

"I don't know why I even try to study with the four of you," Ellie bemoaned.

"Sorry, Ellie," Remus apologized, though the smirk on his face told her he as being entirely sarcastic.

"We could go to the library," Peter said, blushing, "It doesn't close for another two hours."

Shaking her head, Ellie smiled at the timid boy and replied, "That's alright, I'm nearly done anyway. Thanks though, Peter." He quickly returned his attention to his schoolwork.

Black, who'd been staring at Lucy Johnson, stood.

"Well, as amusing as this has been," he said, "I'm going to go see how Lucy's doing with her Herbology homework," after glancing back at Ellie, he made his way over to the girl in question.

"I could swear he's getting worse," Remus said to Ellie, who was staring after the boy in question.

"Honestly Remus, between him and James I'm not sure how you've survived so long."

An irritated James looked up from the Potions book he'd just opened, "He throws books at us, Ellie. That's how."


	8. Chapter 8

**December 1976**

Ellie really hated the cold.

The winter of her sixth year at Hogwarts was colder than any other she could remember. For whatever reason, the pleasant breeze that usually arrived mid-October was instead a bone-deep chill that brought with it harsh winds and early snow. The grounds were quickly covered in the horrid white powder.

A ball of which was headed in her direction. Thankfully though, it appeared Ellie wasn't the intended target.

"Ow! James Potter, I'm going to murder you!" Lily yelled while wiping the snow from her sweater.

The girls were taking a walk around the castle grounds; though Ellie had begged to stay inside. It was a Sunday afternoon in the beginning of December and Lily had insisted they utilize the rare bit of sunlight to get some fresh air. Instead of a pleasant walk they had been ambushed just minutes outside the castle door by the 'Marauders'.

"You'll have to catch me first, Lily-pad!" James called from behind a wall of snow. Peter's head stuck out from behind the same wall. Seeing Ellie and Lily, he stood and began waving them over. _What an idiot_, Ellie thought.

Black, who had set-up his own 'fort' with Remus just several meters away, threw a large snowball that hit Peter directly in the face. The portly boy let out a squeal before ducking back behind his own barrier.

Grinning, Ellie turned to Lily who was eyeing her apprehensively.

"Oh, no. No way, Ellie."

"Please, Lils? It'll be fun!" She whined.

Lily let out a deep—and exaggerated in Ellie's opinion—sigh. "Fine. But I'm on Remus's team."

"Sounds good to me! Say 'hello' to Black for me while you're over there!" Smiling at a now distraught Lily, Ellie ran over to join James and Peter.

As she ducked down behind the wall, James greeted her with a high-five. Poor Peter was still recovering from his earlier hit.

"What's our strategy, Captain," Ellie asked. She'd already begun compacting snow in between her gloves.

Grinning, James pointed his wand at the snowball in her hands, "Engorio," he muttered. Suddenly, the small ball in Ellie's hands became a deadly projectile roughly six inches in diameter.

"Oh," Ellie said grinning, "Oh I'm going to really enjoy this."

And so they spent the next hour hurdling snowballs at one another. Peter was out early in the match. Lily had thrown a rather small snowball at he and Ellie after Black had knocked half of their barricade over, revealing the two. While in mid-air, Lily pointed her wand and yelled "Geminio!" and the small snowball turned into a dozen small snowballs. Ellie had the wherewithal to duck-and-cover while poor Peter received the brunt of the attack.

"James! We've got to do something!" Ellie panted after having just been hit by Remus.

"I know Ellie. Honestly, there's really only one thing left to do." James lowered his eyes to the ground.

"No James…we can't…not after all we've been through."

"We have to! Under no circumstances can we let them win this battle, Ellie!"

"A-alright. But what about Peter? He can't move James!"

"He'll just have to go on without us." James looked over at their fallen comrade, "You got that, Wormtail? You're our only hope, mate. Tell everyone what happened here today…tell them…we fought to the end." Peter gave a thumbs-up from the ground.

"Oi, Prongs! Best put your big girl panties on and get this over with!" Black called from his encampment.

James looked over to Ellie, "You ready? This is it."

Ellie gathered the remaining snowball into her hands. "It's been an honor, sir."

Nodding, James gathered his own supplies. The two friends each took a deep breath.

"On the count of three," James whispered, "One…two…THREE!"

Standing, Ellie and James ran from behind their snow wall. James instantly took two to the chest, but somehow managed to hold on to his armful of snowballs. Halfway there, Ellie had successfully dodged three of Lily's attacks.

"Shit!" Black yelled, "Lily, take her down!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Black was hit in the face by James and fell back behind the wall. Yelling in triumph, James didn't see Remus running towards him.

"James! Look-" But it was too late. He was already on the ground.

Filled with renewed vigor, Ellie ran faster. Lily stood up and tried to hit her, but Ellie had already thrown a snowball at her friend. The red-head went down.

Barreling through their foe's fort, Ellie tripped and fell face first into the snow.

"Ooph! Merlin, Stroud." A deep voice said from underneath her, "If you wanted to get on top of me, all you had to do was ask."

Mortified, Ellie lifted her head from the ground and turned it until she was face to face with Sirius Black.

His grey eyes met hers, and Ellie was once again struck by how attractive the boy was. From her position, she could feel his warmth through his several layers of clothing; which was nice considering the fact that her shirt had ridden up and she could feel the frigid winter air on her bare hips. Suddenly, that coldness was replaced by heat. Letting out a content sigh, Ellie's body relaxed moments before she was struck by an abrupt realization. Black had put his hand on her hips.

Blushing, Ellie scrambled up to her knees.

"Uh, Ellie? What are you doing?"

Ellie looked up into the very confused faces of James, Lily, and Remus. She then looked down to notice she was straddling Black while he was laughing his ass off underneath her and still holding her sides.

"You son of a bitch!" She yelled and hit him on the chest.

Knocking the lecher's hand off of her Ellis stood and tried to explain, "It's not what it looks like! He was on the ground and I was on top of him and—wait—that not what I meant. I fell on him and…ugh, you guys suck." Midway through her explanation, James had fallen to the ground laughing and Lily and Remus were both looking at her like she had two heads.

"Admit it Stroud," Black stood and placed an arm around her shoulder, "You liked it."

_You bet your ass I did._

"I didn't not!" Ellie retorted adamantly.

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

This continued until Ellie and Black each received a final snowball to the back of the head.

Later the next day, the girls had joined the Marauders for dinner in the Great Hall. Of course, they'd almost sat elsewhere when, upon seeing Lily enter the room, James had stood and shouted, "Lily, my love!" and broken into song. Ellie grabbed her friend's sleeve in a firm grip to prevent her from fleeing and drug her over to the table.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ellie? You can stay with me if you want. My parents won't mind," Lily asked Ellie for the hundredth time once they were seated.

Ellie had written her parents a week ago to let them know she wouldn't be coming home for the holidays. She hadn't enjoyed going home before her and Ari's falling out, and now that her twin spent all of her time with Narcissa Black and was never home, Ellie was all the more inclined to remain at Hogwarts. She still hadn't received a response from her mother, so she assumed her parents wouldn't be writing Dumbledore to demand her return home.

"It's only two weeks, Lils. I'll be fine." Chuckling she continued, "Besides, from what I've heard I'll basically have the place to myself."

James, who was in the middle of bringing a forkful pork pie to his mouth, paused and slowly lowered his hand.

"Um, Ellie? You aren't going to be the only Gryffindor," he said hesitantly.

"I know _that_ James, but for the most part—"

"Sirius is staying as well."

"Oh, damn it to hell. Not that," Ellie moaned.

"…Uh, I am sitting right here you know." Black shot James and Ellie a glare.

"Worst. Christmas. Ever." Ellie grumbled over a piece of chicken.

"Yeah, you and me both babe," he shot back.

"Five sickles we all come home and Sirius is in the infirmary" James muttered to Lily.

"You're on, Potter."


	9. Chapter 9

**Late December 1976**

_Four leeches…one scoop of bilborn—no, one __pinch__ of bilborn…ten lacewing flies..wait no…blast!_

Ellie threw her quill down in exasperation. Lily, Mary and the others had only been gone for two days, and already she was resorting to her Potions essay to keep her occupied. Hogwarts was essentially empty; only a handful of students and even fewer professors having stayed behind for the holiday.

The winter storm that had brought in several of inches of snow was still keeping everyone indoors and Ellie was near losing her mind. She didn't know any of the younger Gryffindors who'd remained and she sure as hell wasn't going to strike up a conversation with _Black_ to keep her occupied.

Suddenly, Ellie was jarred from her position on the couch when the devil himself leapt over the back of it and into the empty seat next to hers. Well, not entirely empty. Her potions book and several other tomes from the library were now under her guest.

"So…just you and me here, huh Stroud?" He asked, laying back against the couch and spreading his arms behind him.

Rolling her eyes, Ellie yanked her Potions book from under the intruder's leg. "Yes, Black, besides the three second years, two third years, and the fifth year, it is just the two of us."

"Oh bugger off Stroud, you know what I meant." Sirius shot back, "What're you doing anyway? Our Potions essay isn't due until term starts back."

_If I ignore it, maybe it will lose interest. If I ignore it, maybe it will lose interest. If i—_

"Stroud? Helloooo?"

_Damn._

"Well Black, unlike you who somehow seem to know everything despite having never opened a book in your life, some of us have to work a little harder at getting good marks."

An incredulous look came across Sirius's face, "That's not true! I have opened a book." The boy replied indignantly.

"Oh yeah? When?"

"Well…there was one time in third year—," Laughing Ellie hit Black with her rolled up parchment.

"Really though," Black chuckled and continued, "I do study. I just…don't have to study as much as everyone else I suppose."

"I'm not upset about you being more book smart than me, Black. I'm just surprised by it is all." Ellie cut him a smug look.

"Oh ok. Wait…hey! Why is that surprising?"

Chuckling Ellie replied. "Oh come on, really? You get the smarts, the personality, _and_ the looks? It's not fair to the rest of us!"

Ellie's eyes widened when she saw a smirk come across Black's face and realized what she'd just said.

"I've got the 'looks' do I Stroud?" His smirk grew to an all-out grin, and Ellie wanted to smack it right off of his obnoxiously handsome face.

Instead, she stammered. "No! I just meant that…well…you know, you're not ugly!"

"Oh well thank Merlin for small mercies. Estella Stroud thinks I'm 'not ugly." Black laughed and Ellie once again hit him with her Potions essay turned impromptu weapon. Ellie was in the process of rearing back to hit him a third time when he launched towards her and began tickling her sides.

Ellie gasped and immediately struggled to push him off. "Black...please…no…stop!"

Ignoring her, he continued his assault, tickling Ellie so hard she was forced onto her back, parchment crumpling under her.

"Black…please!" She begged, laughing hysterically despite tears beginning to stream down her face, "I can't take anymore!" Ellie was completely immobile now that Black was laying on top of her; she could do nothing but plead for her release.

Thankfully, the boy realized she was near her breaking point and stopped tickling her. Both still laughing, he looked down into Ellie's eyes. As she met his own grey orbs, Ellie realized the position they were in mimicked the one they found themselves in during the snowball battle a few weeks ago. Only this time, instead of being outside on the ground surrounded by people with her on top and desperate to get off, they were on a couch in front of a fire with no one else in sight and Black—who seemed to have no desire to move—on top of a very still Ellie.

Black must have seen the hesitation in her eyes. "Do you want me to go?" He asked her.

A million thoughts swarmed her head at the question. Did she want him to go? This was _Black_ for Merlin's sake! _Sirius Black_! She remembered their first meeting when they were children and he'd gotten her in trouble. She remembered that first day on the Hogwarts train when he'd made fun or her and Ari. She remembered the years of pranking he'd subjected her to with James. Of course she wanted him to go!

But the only word that Ellie seemed able to say was, "No".

Eyes softening, Black reached down and brushed a stray blonde lock from her face.

"I –I don't want to—" She stammered.

"We don't have to do anything Ellie." Black interjected. "I just want to stay here with you."

"Okay." She said softly, "I think I can do that."

Black gave her an amused look before he moved to his side next to her. To get more comfortable, Ellie also repositioned so that her back was against his chest. Heart racing, she jumped when Black's hand came to rest on her hip.

"Woah," he chuckled," you okay?"

"F—fine," _Merlin I'm starting to sound like Ari_. "I'm fine Black." Chuckling to yet again, he wrapped his arm around Ellie's waist.

The two lay in that position for several moments, each enjoying the rare silence of the Common Room. Ellie began thinking that she very much missed the others—even the other Marauders and their nefarious antics. _Maybe I should have taken Lily up on her offer to spend the holiday with her family._

"Hey Ellie, what's this?"

Jarred from her thoughts, Ellie looked down to where Black was pointing. Her shirt had ridden up during their—uh—struggle, and now visible was a small cloud shaped birthmark just above her left hip.

"It's just a birthmark," she shuddered as his finger began lightly tracing its outline, "It's actually one of the only physical ways to tell me and Ari apart. In addition to how we style our hair that is. Mother always said it showed I was trying to be different even as a baby."

"Are you and your family close at all?" Black asked as he continued to caresses her mark.

"N—no. Well my parents and I have never been. Father's never really around and when he is he's usually punishing me for one thing or another. And Mother, she's been trying to change me since birth. I think when I was sorted in to Gryffindor she finally realized I was a lost cause. These past few years she's pretty much ignored me. Except for when she found out I was friends with you lot." Ellie let out a small laugh at the memory of the look on her mother's face. "She gave me plenty of attention then. I even got attention from father that day too, but he usually isn't as amusing as Mother." Her face had hurt for several days afterward.

"And Ariella?" Black prodded.

Ellie looked back and met his eyes. Black lifted a thumb and ran it over her cheek. Unconsciously leaning into his hand, Ellie sighed deeply and continued.

"Ari and I were inseparable as children. I got us into all sorts of trouble." Ellie chuckled, recalling the lemon tart incident. "She never complained though. She never told me 'no'. I was always the leader, the first to speak and the last to shut up. Ari was always so quiet. She'd spend hours just reading in silence. I swear sometimes she'd sit so still for so long I'd think she was dead. She and I are so different. Mother was always telling me to 'act more like Ariella'. But I'll never be able to act like Ariella. I used to think that our differences weren't a problem. We're sisters right? Twins! Nothing would ever separate us. And then we came to Hogwarts…I tried to keep an eye on her. I tried to...but first Narcissa and then Rosier…I guess I just wasn't enough." Ellie was cut off by a strange hiccupping noise. After several seconds she realized that the sound was coming from her and that tears were streaming down her face. Realizing that she was crying only made her sob that much harder.

Black turned Ellie around so that she was facing him with her head buried into his shoulder. Several moments later she felt his hand gently touch her back as he began rubbing in small circles. Taking a deep breathe, Ellie let herself relax in his embrace.

"Reg and I used to be close like that too," Black said. "He always looked up to me as a kid. Mother and Father hated that of course; Merlin forbid two of their children become decent human beings. But, sometime in the years between me being sorted into Gryffindor and his first year they completely turned him on me. Kid hates my guts now. Won't even look at me in the halls."

Ellie could hear the sorrow in Black's voice. She tilted her head up to bring herself face to face with him. Deep grey eyes met her own and she saw a sorrow in them that ran just as deep as her own. It struck Ellie then that there was no other person in the world who understood her more than Sirius Black. And because of this realization and the feelings that came along with it, Ellie leaned forward, gave Black a kiss on the cheek, and went upstairs to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**December 1976**

After that night in the Common Room, Ellie and Sirius had enjoyed a few days of peacefulness around one another. They studied together, ate together, wandered the grounds together. It was…nice. It felt good to not be constantly on guard around him. As a result, Ellie found herself able to appreciate Sirius's intelligence and sense of humor.

One afternoon, just before Christmas Eve, the two had planned to meet in the library so that Sirius could help Ellie put the final touches on her potions essay that was due when term resumed. It was two o'clock when Ellie arrived, a trace of excitement making her heart flutter. She looked around the library, peeking down the stacks to try and find Sirius.

The light fluttering of her heart became more incessant when she spied him sitting at one of the corner tables, leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed at the ankles. And then her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw Susan Tugwood, a sixth year Ravenclaw, approach Sirius's chair. Susan was, admittedly, a very pretty girl. She was pale, with naturally rosy lips, and nearly black hair. The two were often seen in one another's company, and rumor was they'd spent several evenings in the astronomy tower. It was a rumor Ellie had brushed aside, a least until she saw Susan wrap her arms around Sirius's neck and lightly kiss his cheek.

Ellie wasted no time leaving the library, brushing the tears from her face the whole way back to the Common Room.

When Sirius walked through the portrait hole an hour later, he found Ellie sitting at a desk, her potions essay and several books strewn about around her.

"What gives, Stroud?" He asked angrily. "I've been waiting in the library for the past hour."

Ellie let out a huff as she set down her quill. "Must've gotten bored then, huh? My company not enough for you?"

His eyes widened, "What the bloody hell are you on about?"

"I saw you with Susan, Black!" Ellie abandoned all pretenses on levelheadedness. "Looked pretty cozy if you ask me. How long have you been with her?"

"I'm not—"

Ellie continued, "Just a charity case then, was I? Wanted to add one of the Stroud twins to your list?"

Sirius leveled his eyes on her, "If you would stop a moment and let me explain—"

"Well you won't get me! I see right through you Sirius Black. You use your sob story to get into a girl's knickers—or try to—and when that doesn't work you move on to the next!"

His face was turning red, "Estella, just listen—"

"Don't bother, Black," She slammed her book closed. Shoving books, parchment, quill, and ink bottle into her book bag, Ellie stood up from the desk. "I should've known you were playing me from the beginning."

And with that said, she stormed up to the girls' dormitory, leaving a bewildered Sirius alone in the Common Room.

* * *

Ellie woke up early on Christmas morning to the sound of squeals and laughter coming from just beyond the door. She assumed the younger Gryffindor's were making their way down stairs to see what presents had arrived for them. Sitting up in bed, she looked around at the empty dormitory, wishing for the hundredth time this week that she'd gone home with Lily.

After the library incident, Ellie had hardly left the dormitory for anything besides meals. Thankfully, when she did venture out, Black kept his distance, reverting to glaring at her from afar. She'd also been right about him it seemed. Instead of sitting with her at the Gryffindor table, he was now sitting with Susan Tugwood at the Ravenclaw table. Ellie would watch them, discreetly of course, heads bowed together. Occasionally, either Black or Susan would glance at her, quickly shifting their eyes once they saw she was watching.

This morning, despite it being Christmas Day, would be no different than the previous three. She'd sneak downstairs, look for Black, then make her way to the Great Hall. Stomach rumbling already, Ellie dressed and made her way downstairs to see if she had any presents before going to breakfast. All of the younger students were talking excitedly and showing of their new toys to one another. Scanning the room quickly, she let herself relax upon noticing Black was absent. Ellie quickly perused the area around the red and gold decorated tree and saw an untouched pile of presents. Settling down on the ground next to them, she dug in.

The first present she came across was from Lily. It was a book titled "How to Become Someone and Do Things: A Guide to Self-Motivation and Excellence" by Harriet Bumble.

"Trying to tell me something, Lils?" Ellie muttered to herself, set the book aside, and moved on to the next gift.

This one was from her parents—her mother, rather. Father always said gifts were entirely unnecessary but for some reason gave one to her mother and Ari each year…beside the point really. Tearing into the wrapping paper, Ellie found a bottle of the newest frizz controlling potion. As much as she wanted to hate her mother for harping on the look of her long and too-voluminous hair, she had to appreciate the gift as it _was_ something she needed.

She opened a few other presents from friends; a new set of Exploding Snap cards from Remus and a pretty pair of red gloves from Mary. Her gaze then turned to the last gift in her pile. Admittedly, Ellie was scared to open it. You see, despite having not spoken for the entire school year and even being estranged for a few years, Ari still gave her sister a present both on Christmas and on their birthday. And every year the gift had Ellie wanting to run to the Slytherin Common Room and throw her arms around her twin. She knew this year would be no different.

Opening the envelope with her name addressed on it, Ellie pulled out the letter inside.

_Ellie_,

_I know we have not spoken to one another in several months. I know that you wish I were different and that things would go back to how they were when we were younger. There are some days I wish this as well. But this cannot happen. I finally feel like I am beginning to fit in here. Cissy is a dear friend, and Evan is…Evan is wonderful. Truly. We've been together two years now, did you know? Cissy says he'll likely ask Father for my hand soon. Isn't that exciting! Ariella Rosier…I think it has a nice ring to it. I'd ask if you're seeing anyone but as you haven't responded to my last four letters, I'd imagine it is pointless to do so._

_I miss you so much, Ellie. I know things are hard now, but they are only going to get harder. I do wish you would write me before…well, before things change. But whatever you do, Ellie, do NOT approach me at school. Just…please don't. It's for the best, I promise._

_Please know that no matter what, I have always and will always love you. You remain my rock and my motivation._

_Yours Always,_

_Ariella_

Ellie blinked the tears from her eyes and opened the box that Ari's letter always came with. A small lemon tart sat inside it. She hesitated before doing what she did every time her sister sent the gift. It was harder this time for some reason than it had been previously, but Ellie found her resolve after a few moments. She picked up both letter and sweet box, walked over to the fireplace, and threw them in. As she watched the flames consume the corner of both box and parchment, she wished for the fourth time—ever since Ari had started sending those blasted letters—that she could throw her feelings for her sister in the fire as well.

"Bad gift was it Stroud?" A deep voice spoke up from directly behind her.

_Black_. Ellie jumped and turned to face him. He'd obviously just woken up as his black hair was sticking up in all directions and he was still in his flannel pajamas. _The man can even make flannel sexy, _she thought.

"Just something from my sister," she replied. "A letter and some sweets."

"Yeah, ok," For a moment he looked slightly uncomfortable. Ellie wasn't used to seeing Black look anything other than smug and confident. He suddenly grabbed her hand and shoved a small black box into it.

"I got this for you the morning after the couch…thing. Thought you might like it. Then…well, you were there. I was going to throw it away, but figured I'd give it to you anyway. So there, that's for you. I don't have anyone else to give it to. Throw it in the fire too if you want, I definitely don't want to hang on to it anymore though."

Once that was said, he turned to go back upstairs. Stopping at the bottom of the staircase, Black turned back towards her, "By the way," he began, "Susan and I are just friends. I was nervous about meeting you in the library that day and asked her for help."

"Help with what?" She couldn't help but ask.

Sirius let out a breath. "I was going to ask you out."

"…Oh." Ellie felt her face redden.

"Anyway," he continued, "Susan's a good friend and a bit of an expert on the subject, so I asked her to meet me in the library before you got there to give me some advice."

"An expert?"

"Susan's dated at least twice the number of girls I have."

"Ah…oh!" Ellie cleared her throat. "So, you really aren't together then."

"No. As I've tried to tell you multiple times."

Well, now Ellie felt extremely stupid.

"Happy Christmas, Stroud." And with that, he went back upstairs, leaving a completely befuddled Ellie staring after him.

Shaking her head, she looked down at the box in her hands. It was a soft material, black and rectangular. It looked almost like a….

_Oh shit. It's a jewelry box._

Taking a deep breath, Ellie opened the container. Inside the box was a gold necklace. The chain was very long and thin. Hanging from it was a small, ruby outlined paw. It was gorgeous, and had obviously cost Black a good deal of money.

_But why would he give me this?_ She wondered.

The gold and rubies were Gryffindor colors, clearly. But why the paw? The only explanation Ellie could think of was that it had something to do with Black's nickname, Padfoot. She stared at the necklace for a bit longer before clasping around her neck and tucking it into her shirt. She'd ask James for the meaning behind it when he returned. Maybe. Or not. Merlin know she'd never hear the end of the teasing. No, this would stay between her and the boy she'd clearly been very, very wrong about.


	11. Chapter 11

**January 1977**

"Well, Potter, he's not in the hospital wing. It looks like you owe me five sickles," Lily said with a smirk as she joined him, Remus, Peter, and Ellie in the Common Room.

The students had returned to Hogwarts earlier that afternoon. Ellie was thrilled to see Lily again. After Black had given her the necklace, he'd avoided her like the plague and spent all of his time with Susan, leaving Ellie to herself with very little to occupy her time. She'd spent the final week of the Christmas holiday walking the castle grounds and reading in the library, neither activity holding her attention for very long. Without fail her mind would wander to that night with Black on the couch and the way his hands had felt on her waist and the way he'd stared at her. Ellie would shake herself from these thoughts only to realize she'd either gotten lost in the castle or stared at the same sentence for ten minutes. Needless to say, she was very happy to now have someone to talk to.

"He might not be there now, Lily-flower, but it looks like he should be." James gestured towards Black, who was sitting at a desk in the corner of the room.

"Merlin," Peter exclaimed, "He looks bloody awful."

And he did in fact look awful, Ellie noted as she and the others turned to look at their friend. Deep bags framed the bottoms of his eyes; eyes which were nearly entirely covered by the dark hair that desperately needed a brush. He was out of uniform and in a ratty Black Sabbath t-shirt and a grey pair of jogging bottoms with slippers on his feet. It looked like he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in several days, despite having never left the bed. Ellie caught James's eye out of the corner of her own. He was clearly concerned at the state Black was in, and the eyebrow he raised at her indicated he knew more than she wanted him to.

"What exactly happened while we were gone, Ellie?" Lily asked.

"W-well, um, nothing really," she stammered. "We pretty much avoided each other." Not entirely a lie.

James, who was sitting next to Ellie, threw an arm around her shoulder.

"Ellie," he began, "It looks like he was run over by a train. And honestly, you don't look much better—ow!—what Lily?" The redhead had smacked James on the head, "Oh, whatever, you look fine Ellie. My point is the both of you would at least talk to each other before and now you don't seem to even want to be in the same room. What happened?"

"I…well…," Ellie looked to Black again. He was scribbling something down on a piece of parchment, and several books were strewn about around him. Looking up as if he felt her gaze on him, Black's eyes met hers from across the room.

They looked at each other for a moment or two before Ellie broke eye contact.

"Nothing. Nothing happened," she said while standing. "I'm going to bed now. See you all at breakfast in the morning." Ellie hurriedly made her way up to the girls' dormitories.

"Something's not right," Lily said, eyes fixated on the doorway Ellie just left through.

James shared a look with Peter and Remus. After getting a nod from each of them, he moved to occupy Ellie's empty spot next to Lily on the couch. She looked at him warily and backed away slightly.

"Cut it out, Lily-flower. I'm actually trying to be serious. We—Remus, Peter, and I—feel the need to let you in on a little secret."

"And what might this _secret _be?" She asked, a bit aggravated at the dramatics.

"Sirius was supposed to be at my house this Christmas. My parents have taken him in, you see, and he didn't need to stay at Hogwarts over the holiday. He stayed behind because Ellie was staying."

"But why? Oh. Oh!" she exclaimed. " But I thought he hated her? They bicker all the time and can hardly stand one another. And isn't he seeing Susan Tugwood?"

"Shhh! Merlin, Lily, he's right over there!" James shushed her, earning himself a particularly nasty glare, "No he isn't seeing Susan. She fancies girls. And this is Sirius we're talking about; one of the most immature people there is. You really expect him to just walk up to Ellie and tell her he's fancied her since fourth year?" Remus hit James on the shoulder.

"Fourth year?" Lily looked at Remus, "Is that true?"

Remus shook his head at James, "We really weren't supposed to say anything. He only told us himself just before Christmas, but yes, since fourth year. He said something about realizing he'd fallen for her after a beetle incident."

"A beetle incident I do believe _you_ assisted in" James nudged Lily.

"I didn't assist. I was look-out."

"That's what assisting is, Lily-flower."

"Oh whatever. So, Sirius has liked Ellie since fourth year. Do you know why things have turned sour all the sudden?"

Remus answered, "He mentioned something about telling her how he felt over the holiday. I'm assuming things didn't quite go as planned, but we don't have specifics. Honestly, he doesn't even seem to want to discuss it."

They all turned again to look at Sirius. Apparently, he had finished whatever assignment he was working on, as he now had his head propped up on one hand and was twirling his quill with the other.

"I'll try and get some information out of Ellie tonight before bed," Lily said.

"We'll do the same with Sirius. One of them is bound to let something slip."

* * *

Ellie was having trouble sleeping when the door to the dormitory slowly creaked open. She knew it wasn't either Mary or Lucy, both having been asleep when she arrived from the Common Room, so that meant Lily had finally come up. She sat up in bed a turned on the lamp on the bedside table. Lily, having now entered the room, closed the door behind her and made her way over to Ellie's bed. She got on the bed and sat crossed legged next to her friend.

"Couldn't sleep?" Lily asked.

"No. I was waiting up for you. I feel like we haven't spoken in ages." Ellie answered.

"It's only been two weeks, Els." Lily chuckled, "Besides, you had Black here to keep you company."

Ellie let out a rather unladylike snort, "Yeah, Black, my favorite person."

"Oh come on, Ellie. I know you've never liked him much, but the two of you won't even look at each other anymore! You need to tell me what happened while we were gone." Lily took her friend's hand in hers, "Please?"

Falling victim to the red-head's pleading eyes, Ellie decided to tell her what happened.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. You cuddle on the couch, he gives you a gorgeous necklace, all but lays his heart at your feet, and you scare him off by acting like a crazy person? I'll admit I'm not a huge Sirius Black fan, but what is wrong with you Ellie!?"

Lucy, whose bed was right next to Ellie's, flung a shoe at Lily and shushed her. Grimacing, Lily tossed the shoe to the ground and gave the girl an apologetic smile.

Ellie began picking at the snags in her bedspread, "Kind of…I suppose. Really though Lils, _Black_? He's the biggest player in the school! Merlin only knows how many girls he's…been with."

"Yes, but how many of them has he opened up to like he did with you? He really likes you, Ellie."

"I—what?"

Lily sighed, "Potter says Black's liked you since fourth year. You remember the beetle thing?"

"The beetle thing? He _liked_ that?" Ellie was confounded.

"I don't think he actually liked it per say, but something must have happened. You'll have to ask him I suppose." Lily said smugly.

"No!" Ellie exclaimed, earning herself a balled up sweater to the face. She lowered her voice, "Sorry Lucy. Anyway, there's no way I'm talking to him about any of this."

"Why not? It won't do to just keep avoiding him. Just let him down easy; it's not his fault you don't like him the same way," Lily noticed a peculiar look cross her friend's face, "Oh, Merlin. That's the problem isn't it? You _do_ like him!"

"I do not! I mean, he's attractive, sure. But honestly, Lils, Black is the most immature, arrogant, self-centered—"

"He held you while you cried about your sister and gave you a very expensive Christmas present," Lily interjected.

Feeling more than a little ashamed of herself, Ellie put her face in her hands. Lily laid a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, "What's the real problem here, Els?"

Face still in her palms, Ellie responded, "It's _Black_. I want to let myself be with him. I really want to. But I'm so worried he's going to hurt me. And now I'm the one who's hurt him…I'm just confused. And scared. I want to think on it for a bit."

"Alight, love. No one wants you to decide anything right now; take all the time you need." Lily got up from the bed and moved to her own. Both girls settled under their respective covers and Ellie turned out the light. After several moments laying in the dark, she decided she had one last question for Lily.

"So, Lils, what about you and Potter?"

"Shut up and go to sleep."

Chucking, Ellie closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.


	12. Chapter 12

**February 13, 1977**

It was the day before St. Valentine's Day and love was in the air at Hogwarts. Everywhere Ellie looked, whether it be in the library or in the middle of Herbology, couples were behaving particularly amorously. Normally, she wasn't bothered by this. She'd held absolutely no interest in any of the boys at school. Most Gryffindors were weary of a Stroud witch, the Ravenclaw boys never came out of the library, Hufflepuff were too…sweet, and Ellie would sooner tap dance naked on the table in the Great Hall than go out with a Slytherin. No, she'd made the decision a long time ago to treat St. Valentine's Day just as any other normal day.

And then Black had to ruin everything.

Now, whenever she saw couples holding hands in the hallways or getting a bit 'handsy' in class, her mind immediately went to Sirius. She would reimagine their night in the Common Room, and her mind would drift to thoughts of his hands once again brushing her hair from her face. They would continue down to the side of her neck and she would tilt her head to allow him to place a kiss there. He'd kiss her neck once, twice before moving to lightly kiss her jaw. Pulling away from her, he would meet her eyes and in them he would see her acceptance of him. Permission to do what they'd both wanted for so, so long. Black would grasp her face in-between his hands and draw her slowly too him. Eyes closing, lips puckering, she'd feel the faint touch of his breath on—

"Estella!"

"AH! What?" Startled, Ellie turned to look at Lily who was standing next to her with her arms crossed and a disgruntled look on her face. Looking around, she noticed that they were the only ones left in the Charms classroom.

"I've been trying to get your attention since I got back from Flitwick's office! I swear Ellie, where has your mind been?"

Ellie gave her friend a sheepish look. Standing, she collected her materials and put them in her bag, "Sorry, Lils, I suppose I have been a bit spacey lately."

"Spacey?" Lily exclaimed as they left the classroom and made their way to lunch. "I called your name five times, Ellie. That's not spacey, that's deaf."

Suddenly, James Potter squeezed himself between the two girls and threw an arm around each of their shoulders, grinning as he did so. "Who's deaf?" he asked.

Groaning, Lily shrugged off his arm, "Obviously you, Potter. How many times to I have to tell you not to do that?"

"As many times as I have to ask you out, Lily-flower," he gave her a wink and ran a hand through his hair. Ever the gentleman, James then took Lily's bag from her and threw it over his shoulder. Ellie noted that, surprisingly, her friend grumbled a bit, but didn't object.

The three made it to the Great Hall and took their seats next to the others for lunch. Lily sat next to Remus who sat next to Peter on one side, and James sat between Sirius and Ellie on the other.

There were several moments of awkward silence before Remus spoke up, "So," he began, "anyone have plans for St. Valentine's Day tomorrow?"

"I think I'm just going to go to Hogsmeade for a butterbeer. Maybe come back early and work on Flitwick's essay," Peter mumbled into his plate.

Lily was next to answer, "I've got loads of studying to do for Defense Against the Dark Arts, so I'll probably end up spending the day at the library."

"Aw, Lils, noooo," Ellie whined. "You promised you'd go to Hogsmeade with me."

"I'm sorry, Ellie, really I am. But I didn't get near as much done last night as I should have, and this essay is due Monday."

Ellie grumbled and stabbed forcefully at the food on her plate.

"James!" She exclaimed after several moments, "Come to Hogsmeade with me!"

"Oh…um…well. I would Ellie, but I've got something going on later that evening and—"

"What do _you_ have to do _later that evening_, Potter? Got a date or something?" Ellie could swear she saw a jealous glint in Lily's eye. _Well that's interesting_, she thought.

"Actually, Lily, I suppose you could say I do," Potter shot back. Speechless for a moment, Lily stumbled over her words as her face turned red.

"Lily," Remus interjected suddenly, "He's going to be with me tomorrow night. You see, James, Sirius, and Peter have to help me…help…me…" Fumbling, he looked to the other boys for help.

"Late night Quidditch practice!" Sirius spoke for the first time that lunch period.

Ellie and Lily shared skeptical looks with one another.

"Yeah, okay boys," She noticed the flush spreading across Remus's face. _Poor thing, _she thought, _it really would be easier if Lily and I could just tell him we know._

Lily and Ellie were well aware that tomorrow night was a full moon, and that their friend would be spending the day in the hospital wing preparing for his transformation. Though they didn't know exactly what the others did while Remus was away, they did know that it had something to do with Remus's transformations as well, as they were always absent from the Common Room during the full moon.

"Well," Ellie said, "as fun as this has been, I also have a Charms essay to work on. I'll see you all at supper."

As she went to stand up from the table, Ellie's foot caught and she stumbled back into the absolute last person she ever wanted to see, let alone come in physical contact with. And judging by the way he shoved her off of him and onto the floor, Severus Snape felt the same way about her.

"Watch where you're going, _Stroud_," he hissed at her, face red and eyes glaring dangerously.

Infuriated in her own right, Ellie tried to stand, only to fall again as a result of her book bag being twisted around her legs.

Snape, who was now joined by Avery, Mulciber, and Rosier, laughed.

"Having some trouble, huh Sis?" Rosier sneered at her.

Ellie glared back at her possible future brother-in-law. She'd finally managed to get her legs untangled, when a masculine, lightly tanned hand entered her field of vision. Looking up to see its owner, she found herself staring into the eyes of Sirius Black. Hesitating only for a moment, Ellie grasped his hand and allowed him to pull her up.

"Aw," Avery jeered, encouraged by his entourage, "It looks like the little mudblood-loving traitors are in love." Snape and the others snickered.

"Enough!" Lily had risen from her seat to stand by James, who was in the process of pulling out his wand.

"Leave, Severus," she demanded, her green eyes hard and unforgiving, "and take your cronies with you." Turning her back to the Slytherins, Lily knelt to pick up Ellie's bag from the floor. Snape, having been successfully silenced, shot Lily a longing look before reluctantly stalking away. After giving Ellie, James, Sirius and the others one last glare, the rest followed.

Ellie took her school bag from Lily's outstretched hand, "I've decided what I want for Valentine's Day," she hissed, staring after the Slytherins. "I don't want chocolates, or jewelry, or some singing card with hearts all over it. I want those arseholes taken down a peg. Especially Snape." Ellie angrily brushed off her pants and left the Great Hall, not realizing that one of the Marauders had every intention of making her wish come true.

**February 15th, 1977 **

"Ellie! Wake up!"

Ellie jolted awake to the sound of Lily's panicky voice and feel of her franticly shaking the bed.

Glancing to the clock of her nightstand, her jaw dropped, "Its 4:30 in the morning, Lily! And a Sunday for Merlin's sake." Ellie could practically feel her brain trying to comprehend the fact that five seconds ago she was in a deep sleep, and now she was not only awake but attempting to communicate.

"Shhh! You'll wake Mary and Lucy up. Get dressed. We've got to go to down to the Common Room."

Lily herself was already fully awake and clothed. At her words, Ellie also found herself completely alert and hurrying into her jeans and dark blue sweater.

"What's happening?" Pulling her sweater over her head, Ellie suddenly recalled that it was a full moon last night, "Remus? Did something happen to Remus?" She struggled into her jeans and looked at the red-head expectantly.

"I'm not entirely sure. I woke to some commotion from downstairs and when I went to see what was going on I found James and Black going at it. I was sent up to come get you," Lily replied.

The two girls hurried down the staircase and into the Common Room. There they found Peter standing quietly in a corner looking nervously between James, who was pacing in front of the fire, and Sirius, who was glaring at James from his position in an armchair and sporting what appeared to be the beginnings of a black eye. Each boy was in tattered clothes with various scrapes and bruises marring their skin.

"What in Merlin's name happened to you three?" Ellie exclaimed upon seeing them.

James looked up from his position in front of the fireplace. He walked over to the couch and motioned for the two girls to sit down. Peter left his corner to stand next to James in front of the girls. Upon closer inspection, Ellie noticed that they both looked like they had yet to go to bed.

"There's something we have to tell the both of you," James said.

"Is it about Remus? Is he okay?" Lily asked worriedly. Neither she nor Ellie missed the startled glance the three boys shared.

Black, still sulking in the armchair, was the first to speak, "Why would something be wrong with Remus?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

Ellie rolled her eyes, "Please, we've known the four of you for over six years. Did you really think we wouldn't notice?"

James crossed his arms and stared pointedly at each girl, "What exactly is it you think you know about us?"

Ellie looked to Lily who nodded her assent to tell them, "We know that Remus is a werewolf. And we know that the three of you help him somehow."

The boys visibly relaxed, "But you don't know how exactly?" James asked. The girls shook their heads.

James ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath. He then resumed his pacing. An uncomfortable silence filled the Common Room as everyone seemed to be waiting to see what he would do next. Sirius was uncharacteristically quiet as well, Ellie noticed. He'd been acting strange towards her, understandably, but something appeared to be off between him and the others now as well. James hadn't even glanced at his friend since the girls had entered the room, and Ellie was willing to bet he'd been the one to punch Black as well. Sirius, on his end, was ignoring James also. He was leaning forward in the chair, elbows on his knees with his head in his hands.

"James?" Lily's near whisper broke through the quietness of the room.

Finally shaken from his thoughts, James turned to address Lily and Ellie.

"Since you already know about Remus this will be a lot easier to explain," He paused for a moment. "Something has happened, and it does concern Remus. Sirius also has something to do with it," James glared angrily at his friend whose eyes remained fixed on the ground.

Turning his attention back to the girls, he continued, "Sirius nearly killed Snape tonight."


	13. Chapter 13

**February 15, 1977**

Dead silence immediately followed James's statement.

Lily was the first to regain her speech, "Excuse me?" she asked shakily. She turned to look at Sirius, "What is he talking about, Black?"

Sirius finally looked up from the ground. He took a deep breath and leaned back in the armchair.

"Snivellus has been sneaking around after us for years, trying to figure out where we go every full moon. He's not a complete idiot—I figured he probably pieced it all together. I just confirmed what he thought and…might have told him how to get past the Whomping Willow and into the Shrieking Shack."

Lily leapt up from the couch and stormed over to where Black sat. Putting herself eye level with him, she yelled, "He could have died! And how do you think Remus will feel knowing he could've killed someone? You're a complete arse, Black!" She stomped away from him and stood next to James in front of the fire. Green eyes blazing and arms crossed, Lily looked as angry as Ellie had ever seen her.

Sirius's eyes resumed their inspection of the carpet, "I didn't want to kill him…I just wanted—"

"To take him down a peg," Ellie finished for him. The others looked at her questioningly; all except Sirius who knew precisely what she was referring to.

"At lunch the day before yesterday—when I tripped and fell into Snape—I said all I wanted for Valentine's Day was for him to be taken down a peg," she explained.

James sighed and pinched his nose while Lily sat back down on the couch and looked incredulously between Sirius and Ellie, "Are you joking? Please tell me you're joking!" She turned to look directly at Black, "You nearly kill a boy and make another a _murderer _all for Ellie's attention? _Are you mad_?" She hissed angrily.

Lily's questions were met with silence.

"Hang on. How is it Snape was able to get away?" Ellie asked while her friend fumed.

Peter nearly leapt out of his trousers in an effort to contribute to the conversation, "It was Prongs! As soon as he found out what had happened, he rushed to meet Sniv—I mean Snape—in the tunnel. Snape got one look at Moony and ran while Prongs held him off. It was amazing!" The boy was out of breath after his recounting of the night's events.

"How in Merlin's name did James manage to fend off a werewolf?" Lily asked. Peter's eyes grew round as the other two boys glared at him.

"Well?" Ellie prompted.

Sirius ran his hands over his face and kept them there. James also seemed to deflate as he settled himself onto the couch next to Lily.

After a moment he began to explain, "This isn't something we were planning to reveal tonight…maybe ever if I'm being honest, but I—and the others—trust the two of you well enough to tell you." James took a deep breath and looked one last time to Sirius for his approval. After a nod from the other boy he continued, "Peter, Sirius, and myself…we're animagi."

"Ho-ly shit." Ellie exclaimed, wide-eyed. Lily was momentarily speechless, but quickly regained her ability to speak as soon as she began to think of questions for the boys.

"How? When? How long did it take? What animals? Does the Headmaster know? That's extremely dangerous, James! Remus agreed to this? What—"

"Merlin, Lily!" Ellie interjected, "One at a time!"

Sirius was the one to explain further, "We've known about Remus since first year, but we weren't able to complete the process until well into our fifth year. No the Headmaster doesn't know. Yes it is dangerous. Yes Remus agreed…after some convincing. I doubt we would've been able to successfully pull it off on our own. As for which animal were become, well, just think about it for a moment." Grinning, he looked expectantly at Lily and Ellie.

The girls shared a confused look with one another.

"How are we to possibly guess that, Black?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, _Padfoot_," James said with a smirk, "How are they supposed to guess that, _Padfoot_?"

Understanding dawned on Lily's face, "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs! You clever, clever boys!"

"Never thought I hear that come out of her mouth," Sirius mumbled and received a glare from the red-head.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Will someone _please_ tell me what's going on?" Ellie yelled and was promptly shushed by the others—it was still so early in the morning that they were the only five awake.

Rolling her eyes, Lily explained, "James's animagi form is a stag—hence Prongs, Peter is Wormtail, so…rat I'm assuming? And Padfoot…a dog?" Sirius nodded his confirmation. Lily smiled triumphantly as Ellie processed the new information.

"Finally we have reasoning behind those ridiculous nicknames," Ellie said. "Are there any other surprises we should know about?" The three boys looked everywhere but at the girls.

"Oh, whatever," Lily said, "Keep your secrets then. I'm going to grab another hour or two of sleep before breakfast." She stood up from the couch and stretched before heading towards the stairs. Stopping on the threshold, Lily turned around, "I may not be on speaking term with Severus, but don't think I'll forgive you so easily Black. I can only imagine was Remus is going through. James…I'm glad you're alright." The redhead turned and went upstairs.

Ellie looked to Sirius who once more appeared solemn, his eye now swollen and purple. James, however, was grinning ear to ear like of love-struck fool. He caught Ellie looking at him and in two paces was standing before her. James swept Ellie off the couch and into his arms. Twirling her in the circles he exclaimed, "She loves me! Lily loves me!"

Now dizzy, Ellie managed to remove herself from her jubilant friend's grasp. Stumbling backwards, she found herself on the floor with her back resting against Sirius's armchair. Through a haze of dizziness, she saw James skip up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, and noted that Peter took one look at Ellie and Sirius and quickly followed. Leaning back, Ellie rested her head against what she assumed was the arm of the chair.

"I'd like to get up as well, you know."

Eyes now closed, Ellie responded, "By all means, be my guest."

"That's kind of hard to do with you in between my legs."

Ellie's eyes flew open. Glancing left to right, she saw that she was in fact resting in between two very lean and muscular legs. Blushing, Ellie tried to scramble to her feet only to fall back to the floor once dizziness overtook her again. Groaning, she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on them. After a moment she felt Sirius's hand on her head. Lightly, so lightly she almost couldn't feel it, he began to run his hand over her hair.

"Sorry," Ellie said after a moment, "I'm still a bit dizzy."

"James was a little over-enthused," Sirius chuckled, "Take all the time you need."

And so the two sat in companionable silence for several minutes. Sirius leaning forward to stroke Ellie's hair and she leaning back into his touch.

Ellie was nearing sleep before a thought crossed her mind, "Sirius?"

"Hm?" He sounded nearly asleep himself.

"The necklace you gave me for Christmas, the ruby paw? Well, I—I couldn't help but notice…"

"The paw is symbolic to me, yes. Did…did you like it?" Ellie was surprised to hear the vulnerability it his voice.

Reaching under her sweater, she pulled out the gold chain and the ruby pendant. The red stones glistened in the fire-light; the necklace just as beautiful as the day he'd given it to her. Sirius leaned forward and rested his head on top of hers. He cupped her hand his and ran his thumb over the pendant in her palm.

"I never take it off," Ellie mumbled.

Sirius placed a soft kiss to her temple and took up his relaxed position in the armchair. Another moment or two passed before Ellie decided she would also like to catch another hour of sleep before breakfast. She used Sirius's legs to help herself stand and turned to face him after doing so. His black hair hung in front of stormy grey eyes, both with deep bags underneath and one swollen and bruised. Ellie couldn't resist reaching forward and lightly touching the injury. Sirius winced but did not move from her ministrations.

"James?" she asked.

He nodded. "Nothing I didn't deserve."

Ellie let her hand fall back to her side. Taking a deep breath, she stepped around the chair with every intention of heading straight to the girls' dormitory, but for some reason her legs would carry her no further. She approached the armchair from behind and wrapped her arms around Sirius neck.

Mimicking his earlier actions, she placed a kiss on his temple and whispered in his ear,

"Thank you for my Valentine's Day gift." Sirius let out a breath she hadn't realized he'd been holding and relaxed in her embrace, "I wish it hadn't been at Remus's expense," she continued, "but I appreciate the thought all the same." After pressing her lips to his cheek on last time, Ellie left the Common Room and returned to bed.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: So sorry for the wait everyone. The only time I actually work on this story is when I should be writing a term paper (I have one due next week…). I'll get better! On a side note, I'd like to thank everyone who has followed and reviewed! Many thanks to JDTEA who has supported this story from day one, and to infinateconstellations whose recent review prompted this update. I've only just figured out/remembered how to look at reviews, so apologies if you've reviewed and I haven't acknowledged it yet.

Someone has asked about the back and forth nature of Ellie and Sirius's relationship. Beginning with this chapter that is essentially over (the toying with each other part I mean). That being said, I intend for their story to span the Mauraders' Era as well as all seven books, so their relationship will be full of ups and downs.

Again, thanks so much for the reviews! Please, keep them coming and enjoy!

* * *

June 1977

After the incident with Snape, things finally got back to normal between Sirius and Ellie. They no longer left a room when the other entered it, and their usual banter began anew. In her own somewhat twisted way, she viewed his actions that St. Valentine's Day evening as a clear sign of his affection for her. Remus, on the other hand, was not so enamored with Sirius's 'prank' and in no unclear terms let him know that it was to never happen again.

"_OW! Shit, Remus! I said I'm sorry!" Sirius cupped a hand over his non-black eye, which would soon be just as bruised and swollen as its counterpart._

"**_Sorry_**_? You think **sorry** is going to fix this? I could've killed him, Sirius!"_

"_You know it's bad when they drop the nicknames," Lily mumbled to Ellie._

_The two girls had been sitting on the couch in the Common Room when Remus returned from the infirmary. After checking his injuries and explaining that they knew about everything what had happened, they directed him to the boys' dormitory where the others were. As he went upstairs, the girls settled back into their studies._

_It took less than a minute for them to realize this was pointless. Sirius came bounding down the stairs with a red-faced Remus following close behind. Before he could get to the portrait, Remus grabbed onto the back of his shirt, swung the boy around, and punched him in the face._

_James and Peter, having also left the dormitory, sat on the couch with the girls while the others "worked it out". Ellie, having abandoned the thought of studying altogether, focused solely on the argument between Remus and Sirius, wishing she had some Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans to enjoy while doing so._

_James used the time to ask Lily out yet again._

"_Please, Lily? Just one date, one! If you hate it than we never have to go again, I swear!" he pleaded._

_Lily, who was angry enough already that her studies had been interrupted, showed no mercy, "Potter", she said through clenched teeth, "you have two seconds to get away from me before your face starts looking like Blacks."_

_Pale-faced, James grabbed Peter's arm and hauled him off the couch, far-away from the red-head's temper._

"_A little much don't you think, Lils?" Ellie said off-handedly, still more interested in the fight between Remus and Sirius, especially now that James was trying to break it up._

"_The day I decide to swim naked in the Black Lake is the day I agree to go out with James Potter," Lily declared vehemently._

_Rolling her eyes, Ellie rose from the couch to assist James._

It had been several months since their fight, and Sirius and Remus were finally on good terms again. Sirius had apologized daily, and that coupled with his duel black eyes made it difficult for Remus to stay mad at him.

Those last few months of their sixth year were rather uneventful. Despite a menacing glare from Snape a time or two, there were no more altercations between the Slytherins and the Marauders. Even the boys' infamous pranking was at an all-time low—this mainly due to the fact that Sirius was spending every weekend in detention for his prank on Snape.

And so the months drug on, until finally the young Gryffindors found themselves on the train home for the summer.

Having all decided to sit together, their compartment was slightly crowded. James, Sirius, and Remus sat on one side while Peter and the girls sat opposite them. Remus was explaining rules of chess to Peter while James and Sirius excitedly discussed the latter's living situation.

"Mum wants you to stay with us for a week or so, 'just to get settled' she said. Personally I think she just doesn't want to go a summer without seeing you." James said, grinning.

"Hold on," Ellie interjected, "You're going back to your parents'?"

Sirius looked at her incredulously, "Merlin, no!" he exclaimed, "My old Uncle Alphard died a few months back and left me a good bit of money. I'll be staying with the Potter's as usual until I can find a place of my own."

"Oh," Ellie said as she turned to look out the window.

"You okay, Ellie?" James asked, a frown marring his face. Ellie turned from the window to find the others looking at her worryingly. Their concern was just enough to make tears form in the corners of her eyes. Alarmed, Lily put an arm around her friend. Ellie rested her head on Lily's shoulder, and closed her eyes in an effort to keep the tears at bay. After a few moments, she was able to speak.

"I don't know if I can go another summer," she whispered.

Nodding his understanding, Sirius asked, "Is Ariella going to be home?"

Drawing her brows together, Ellie tried to recall if the letter her sister had sent for their birthday a couple of months back had mentioned anything about her accommodations this summer. The letter had been short and vague as usual; something about needing Ellie to write her back, and reiterating how much she loved her.

"I'm not entirely sure," she finally said, "Mother hasn't mentioned it, and I haven't spoken to Ari in, well, nearly a year."

Almost as if on cue, the door to the compartment opened, and Ari, flanked by Rosier, stood in the doorway. James and Sirius immediately leapt to the feet and pointed their wands towards the duo. Startled at their actions, Ellie knocked both wands from the boys' hands and stood between her sister and the Marauders. Facing her twin, she looked over her shoulder to address the two boys.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" she exclaimed, "That's my sister you pointed your wands at!"

James at least had the decency to look sheepish, "Sorry, Els" he said, "Force of habit I suppose." Sirius, though looking nowhere near as apologetic, nodded his agreement.

"Do try and keep your friends on proper leashes, sister," the sound of Ari's disinterested voice drew Ellie's attention to her twin.

Having not seen her sister since the beginning of the school year, Ellie was taken aback by just how much she resembled their mother. With her arms crossed and a sneer on her face, it was no wonder Ari was fitting in so well with the Slytherins. Ellie could see the disdain for the Gryffindors in her twin's eyes. _Oh, Ari. What's happened to you?_ Her sister resembled their mother in physical appearance as well. If not for the lack of lines around her eyes and the absence of grey at her temples, Ariella would look exactly like Lorella Stroud.

Shifting her attention to the Slytherin boy standing at her sister's side, Ellie couldn't help but notice that he was nearly on par with James and Sirius in the looks department. Light brown hair hung just past his ears, and piercing blue eyes showed nothing but contempt for the students before him. A terrible grin crossed his face as he stepped forward and slung an arm around Ari's shoulder.

"Ariella, darling, make this quick would you?" he shot a glance at Lily, "I don't want to be in this_ mudblood's_ presence any longer than necessary." Ari met his smirk with one of her own as James and Sirius raised their wands again.

Appalled by her sister's behavior, Ellie asked, "Why are you here Ari? What do you want?"

Turning her attention from Rosier to her sister, Ari answered, "Believe me, I wouldn't have come if it wasn't necessary. Mother had wanted me to tell you this months ago, but well, I figured it would be more of a surprise if I waited until we were on our way home," Grinning maliciously, she continued, "Father and mother are hosting Bellatrix and Narcissa, as well as Evan over the summer holiday. It just kills me to say it, but it would simply be too overcrowded at the manor if you stayed there. I'm afraid you'll have to find other arrangements."

Shocked, Ellie stammered, "I-I…what? Are you telling me I'm not allowed home?"

Ari feigned a distressed expression, "Oh dear. I suppose that is what I'm saying. Not to worry Estella, I'm sure your little mudblood friend and her blood-traitor boyfriend will find something to do with you."

Once again stunned by her sister's words, Ellie felt herself unable to move when Ari placed two hands on her shoulders and drew her in for a kiss on the cheek, pulling away, she exclaimed, "Lovely chat, darling. Until next time!" Rosier glared once more at Ellie before turning and following his almost-betrothed from the compartment.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Gathering herself, Ellie sat down next to Lily and took her hands in her own, "I am so sorry, Lily. I have no idea what possessed her to say that." Tears streamed down Lily's face and she lowered her head to look at the floor.

James paced, furious, "I know exactly what possessed her, Ellie, and you do too. No, don't interrupt me! It was bound to happen eventually and you know it. Frankly, I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did," he stopped when he saw Ellie hang her head. Kneeling in front of her, James placed a hand on her knee, "She's one of them, Ellie. You lost her the day she was sorted into Slytheirn. Hey," he used a finger to lift Ellie's chin. Meeting her eyes he continued, "You have us. You've always had us."

Lily wiped her eyes and grabbed one of Ellie's hands, "You'll stay with me over the holiday. My parents won't mind. In fact, they've been asking after you for a while now; they'll be thrilled to see you."

Ellie squeezed Lily's hand to show her appreciation. Sirius, having remained quiet during the whole ordeal, booted Peter from his position next to Ellie and sat next to her.

"Look at it this way, Els. This is your last summer before you're of age. After this you never have to go back there. You can get a place of your own and put this all behind you."

Ellie looked up to meet his grey eyes, "Have you been able to put it all behind you? To abandon all thoughts of your family and the life you had with them?" she asked quietly.

Sirius sighed, "No, Ellie. No I haven't."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: And another one! That's three chapters in one day (if you're counting—I am). We meet James's parents this chapter, and I've taken some liberty with their names. There seems to be a popular suggestion that Charlus Potter and Dorea Black were his parents. I'm kind of hesitant to believe that, since JKR has never confirmed it. Because of this I've decided not to use those exact names, but the ones I use are similar.

Please review and enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I have unfortunate news…I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

August 27th 1977

Ellie awoke in a soft bed with a pale beam of sun shining in her eyes. Groaning, she rolled over onto her back to escape the light. After stretching and taking several minutes to force her eyes open, she got out of bed and into her khaki trousers with a pale blue flowing top. Long blonde hair secured in a high ponytail, she grabbed her already packed suitcase from the floor and opened the door. Ellie walked the few steps to the room of her best friend, Lily Evans. Knocking, she let herself in before giving the red-head a chance to respond.

"Morning, sleeping beauty! Time to get—damn!" Seeing her friend already up and dressed, Ellie sat sullenly on the perfectly made bed. Lily, having just begun brushing her hair, continued to do so, one eyebrow raised in Ellie's direction.

"Honestly Lils, do you ever sleep?" Ellie asked grumpily.

Lily finished brushing her shoulder length auburn hair and set the brush in her own travel bag. Zipping it closed, she hoisted it over her shoulder.

"Of course I sleep, Ellie. I just have the self-control to wake myself up before 10 o'clock in the morning," she responded mockingly. Ellie retorted by sticking out her tongue.

"Lily! Ellie! It's time to go!" a female voice called from downstairs.

"Come on then. Time to go," Lily insisted. Ellie grumbled and followed her friend out the door and down the stairs in to the kitchen. The décor of the room was quite opposite that of her own house. Where the Stroud's had hard marble and deep rich colors, the Evans kitchen—and even the entire house—represented their cheerful and easy going outlook on life. Mrs. Evans greeted the girls from the sink where she was washing Lily's sister, Petunia's, breakfast plate. The girl in question was glaring at her sister and Ellie from the table.

"Charming as usual," Ellie muttered under her breath only to receive an elbow to the rib from Lily.

"Good morning! All packed and ready to go?" Mr. Evans asked from behind his newspaper.

Lily walked around the table and gave him a hug, "Yes, Dad. Just need some breakfast and we'll be ready to go." Lily took the seat next to her father and Ellie sat between her and Petunia. A plate full of bacon, poached eggs, and toast was set before her. After thanking Mrs. Evans for the meal Ellie and Lily dug in.

When Ellie got off the train with Lily just two months prior the Evans had welcomed her with open arms—with the exception of Petunia of course. After explaining her housing situation to them, Mr. and Mrs. Evans were quick to offer up their home for the summer. The girls had spent the past few weeks helping Mrs. Evans around the house in exchange for money to go shopping, taking long walks around the neighborhood, and lounging by the Evans' new pool. It was, so far, the best summer holiday Ellie had ever had.

The girls also kept correspondence with James, Sirius, and Remus (Peter was off somewhere with his parents). In his last letter, James mentioned that his parents had invited them to their house for the weekend before school resumed to do their Diagon Alley shopping. After some convincing from Lily, her parents agreed to let them go.

Ellie finished her breakfast and rinsed her plate. Finishing shortly after, Lily did the same. Lily's mother gave both girls a hug and made them promise to write during the school year. She kissed Lily on the head and walked them to the door where Mr. Evans stood with their bags. After kissing his wife goodbye he ushered the girls to the car. The vehicle was quite possibly the hardest thing for Ellie to adjust to in the Muggle world. Seeing it for the first time after leaving the train station had her shaking in her shoes. Lily, the great friend that she is, had laughed and all but shoved Ellie into the large white contraption. Ellie was quite confident she'd passed out at some point on the ride to the Evans' house.

Now, however, Ellie sat in the vehicle with her hand sticking out of the rolled down window; the relaxing lull of the motor helping her drift back off to sleep.

* * *

After Mr. Evans dropped the girls off at the train station they faced a full day of travelling by themselves. By the start of the evening, both were happy to be standing on the doorstep of the Potters' house.

"Go on, Els. Ring the doorbell," Lily asserted. Shushing her, Ellie hesitantly did as her friend asked.

"I'll get it!" A masculine voice shouted from behind the mahogany door. Suddenly, it was thrown open and in the threshold stood James Potter. Later, Ellie would swear she heard Lily sigh at the sight of him. Before she could say 'hello' Lily was swept up into a hug. As quickly as it had begun, she was placed back on the ground and Ellie was treated to the same reception. Setting her back down, James grabbed their bags and ushered them inside. He took them into the living room where a petite woman with dark, greying hair was waiting for them.

"Oh, look how beautiful they are!" Rushing forward, the woman wrapped Lily in a hug, "So good to meet you Lily. I'm Dorthea Potter, James's mother." She then enveloped Ellie in a hug, "And you must be Estella! Goodness, you do look exactly like your mother," Noticing Ellie's wince, Mrs. Potter reassured her, "Lorella is a beautiful woman, dear. From what James has told me you share her looks and not her personality. There's nothing to be ashamed of." Smiling at the girls, she indicated that they sit on the couch.

"Dad will be back shortly," James said, "He went to pick up Remus. Sirius is washing up for dinner, so he'll be down in a bit."

"Sirius is here?" Ellie asked, "I thought he'd be settled into his own place by now."

"Trying to rid of me, Stroud?" A deep voice inquired from the staircase. Sirius, hair still wet from the shower, made his way downstairs and into the living room. He took a seat next to James on the couch and sat with his arms folded behind his head and legs stretched out before him. Ellie tried not to stare at the line of skin visible between the bottom of his shirt and the top of his trousers.

"Sirius decided to stay with us for the summer," Mrs. Potter said, "Poor lad doesn't know how to cook for himself. Speaking of, I've got dinner to finish. I'll leave the four of you to get reacquainted," Winking at James, she left for the kitchen.

Ellie and Lily both looked towards the recliner their host had abandoned. Seeing that it was either the chair or the space between the boys on the couch, each girl made a beeline for it. Lily just barely beat Ellie to the chair, but had a good laugh at her friend as she plopped down between James and Sirius. Sirius, having sensed she was uncomfortable, did what Sirius does in any uncomfortable situation—make it more awkward.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he leaned towards Ellie, "That's a lovely blouse you're wearing; matches your eyes perfectly." He grinned as a blush spread across Ellie's cheeks.

James, not one to be outdone, also put an arm around her, "He's very right, Ellie. Such a lovely shade of blue." He blinked his eyes suggestively. Lily laughed hysterically at the horrified look on her friend's face. They were so occupied with bothering Ellie that none of them noticed Remus enter the room.

"Lovely reception. So glad I made the decision to come all this way to take part in the…festivities."

"Remus!" Ellie leapt off the couch and into his arms, being careful to avoid the scrapes that were still present from the last full moon.

"Ah, yes," he chuckled, "That's much better."

As the others stood to welcome him, an older gentleman with dark grey hair entered the room. Mr. Potter appeared to be in his early 50s. His smile though, that reminded Ellie so much of James, made him look years younger.

"Oh wonderful," he said, stepping forward to shake Ellie's hand, "I'm Charles Potter, and I would have to guess that you're…Estella? Ah, good," He turned to Lily, "And you must be Lily. James has told us many good things about you." The red-head's face turned the same shade as her hair.

Mr. Potter chuckled, "I'll leave you all to get settled in. Dorthea has dinner ready so come in when you're ready."

James left to take Ellie, Lily, and Remus's bags upstairs to their rooms. The others rearranged themselves on the furniture. Lily once again claimed the recliner and Sirius sat between Ellie and Remus on the couch.

"Have a good holiday?" Sirius asked Remus.

"Good enough, yeah. Haven't really done much besides study for N.E.W.T.s."

"Already?" Ellie inquired, "Aren't those not till the end of the year?" If Remus was already studying she might want to begin to as well…

Lily was the one to answer her, "N.E.W.T.s are extremely difficult, Ellie, and depending on your career choice you may have to take more than one of them."

"Well I want to be an Auror. How many will I have to take?"

James, who had just reentered the room, took a seat next to her on the couch, "Sirius and I are going for the same. You have to get five Exceeds Expectations in your N.E.W.T. level classes. Should be easy enough."

Ellie's eyes widened at his statement, "For the four of you, yeah! I barely received Exceeds Expectations on my O.W.L.s!" She groaned and hung her head, "I'm never going to be an Auror."

Remus put a comforting arm on her shoulder, "You'll do fine, Els. Lily and I will be more than happy to help you study." Ellie allowed herself to relax, her friends' words providing at least some comfort.

"Well this has all been thoroughly depressing," James said, "Who's ready to eat!"

* * *

After dinner the boys went to bed and Mrs. Potter showed Lily and Ellie to their room. Two twin beds sat in the center of a relatively small room with a wardrobe in the corner. A desk and chair were in front of a large window that overlooked the Potters' yard.

"It's not much," Mrs. Potter apologized, "With all five of you here we had to make space."

Lily approached the bed where her belongings were placed, "It's perfect. Thank you again for having us."

Beaming, the older woman bid the girls good night and shut the door. Ellie and Lily disrobed and changed into their pajamas. Settling under the covers, Ellie was reminded of the room she shared with Ari and their parent's house. She still had not managed to come to terms with what her sister had said on the train. Often times she would lay awake at night and wonder where it all went wrong. Being in separate Houses certainly hadn't helped their relationship, but they had managed to stay close for a while despite that. Ellie was sure the blame lay with Evan Rosier and Narcissa Black. Thankfully, both had left Hogwarts and would be unable to influence Ari during her seventh year, at least, that's what Ellie hoped.

"You okay, Els?" Lily asked after noticing her friend's silence.

Ellie reached up and turned out the light, in the darkness she replied, "I'm fine, Lily. Let's go to bed." Though troubled by her sudden change in behavior, Lily could do nothing but allow herself to drift to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Four updates in 24 hours. I'm done! That should hold you all over for a bit. I'll resume updates as soon as I get some school work done. Until then, please enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Also all names (besides Ellie) mentioned in this chapter are property of J.K. Rowling.

* * *

August 30, 1977

"Lily! Ellie! Wake up!"

Ellie's eyes flew open. Besides the shouting, the first thing her poor, sleep addled mind noticed was that her entire world was shaking. She hastily sat up in bed only to hit what felt like granite. Groaning, she lay back down and nursed the bump on her forehead.

"Shit," a voice exclaimed from above her, "Sorry, Ellie."

Squinting her eyes, she looked up into the remorseful face of none other than Sirius Black.

This was her third morning at the Potters', and each one began the same. At around 8 o'clock James and Sirius would come bounding into the room. James would rip the cover from Lily's bed and run around the room as she chased him yelling like a banshee; red hair in disarray and green eyes blazing. Sirius had a different approach. He'd leap onto Ellie's bed and begin jumping around her sleeping body until she awoke. Were it legal, both boys would be bound and gagged at the bottom of a river. Remus remained in to doorway, helpless to stop the madness, but seemingly willing to help the girls if needed—the ninny.

"Oh bugger off, Black," Ellie sat up and swung her legs to the floor. Still holding her head, she used her pillow to smack Sirius upside the head, "Get! Shoo!" As Sirius left Ellie noted that Lily had managed to get James through the door as well. Closing it behind them, the girls fell to the floor in front of it.

Lily took a deep breath, "It's going to be a long day."

* * *

After lunch Lily, Ellie, James, Sirius, and Remus left to do their school shopping. Mr. Potter had left for work earlier that morning, and Mrs. Potter was devoting her day to tending her Fanged Geranium, a terrible plant that would bite if not cared for properly.

And so the five Gryffindors found themselves wandering Diagon Alley.

"I'm still not sure how James made Head," Sirius muttered, eyes lingering on the newest broom model displayed in the window of Broomstix, "Lily I get, but why not Remus?"

"You know how Dumbledore is with these things," Lily answered, "There always seems to be some meaning behind his actions." Sirius grunted in response.

"You seem a bit put off, mate," James said, nudging his friends shoulder.

Ellie rolled her eyes, "It's because he knows your pranking days are over. You can't be Head Boy by day and master prankster by night, James. Not only would McGonagall give you detention 'til term ended, but I think—," she lowered her voice and feigned a whisper in his ear, "I think Lily would kill you."

"I would not!" The red-head objected, "I'd just grievously injure him." James gulped at the expression on her face.

"Are you four going to spend the rest of the day plotting James's demise or are we going to get our books?" Remus, who had been holding the door to Flourish and Blotts open for quite some time, gave them all a pointed look.

Sheepishly they entered the bookstore, and began the long and arduous task of finding their textbooks.

Several minutes later and Ellie was still not finished, "Lily have you managed to find _Advanced Rune Translations_? I've been looking for the past ten minutes," she asked, quite fed up with shopping already.

"It's a few rows down from _Defensive Magical Theory. _Green cover," Lily yelled from behind a stack of books.

"I am beyond glad that this is our last time having to do this," Sirius said as he approached her, "Here's that Transfiguration book you were looking for," Ellie stumbled under the added weight of the tome.

"Ah, wonderful. And I've got your _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7_," she held out her pile of books," It's third from the bottom."

Sirius took the book from her, "I think that does it for me. Shall we wait on the others? I think I saw some open chairs by the front."

"Oh, a chair. You sure do know the way to a girl's heart."

* * *

Nearly an hour later, they all had their books and were exiting the store. Each had at least five books weighing in at roughly five pounds apiece. Needless to say, no one was really wanting to hang around Diagon Alley much longer.

"I just need to go by Madam Malkin's for a cloak. I swear it won't take more than five minutes," Lily pleaded with the others. Sirius and Ellie moaned their disapproval while James did his best to plaster on a smile.

"Let's go then," Remus said, shaking his head.

It took them nearly an hour to reach Madam Malkin's. Sirius and James stopped at every broom store along the way—Sirius leaving one with new gloves and broom oil; Remus held them up at Scribbulus Writing Instruments for a half hour, and Ellie was rather insistent that they visit Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour before the journey home. Finally, at a quarter to three, they entered the dress shop—and it most certainly did not take Lily 'five minutes' to get everything she needed. It was a full forty-five minutes later that they exited the store.

"I am never going shopping with the two of you again," James moaned on the way back to his house, "That was a nightmare." The other boys muttered their agreement. Lily shot them each a glare so hot it would burn the hair off of a Hippogriff.

After a passing a few more shops, Ellie looked up from her Flourish and Blotts bag, grimacing, "You all are going to hate me."

"Yes," Sirius said emphatically, "Yes we are. And no, we are going straight back to the Potter's. No more shopping." As if to reiterate his point he walked hurriedly in front of the group.

Frowning, Ellie turned to Lily, "I forgot to get my N.E.W.T. potions book Lils. I'll be quick, promise." Once the arrived at Flourish and Blotts (again) the others waited outside while Ellie searched for her final book. Having finally secured it, she paid and went to exit the store only to then run into the last two people she ever wanted to see.

"Estella, darling, how wonderful," Lorella Stroud exclaimed, "I was hoping we would run into you. Ariella, was I not just saying how much I missed your sister?" Ellie couldn't help but notice the immaculate way her mother was dressed. Plum colored robes stopped above her heel-clad feet, and a lilac dress peaked out from underneath it.

"I do believe you were talking about Narcissa, Mother." Ari was dressed similarly to their mother, wearing deep green robes which covered what most pure-bloods considered a day dress, the black material of which hung just passes her knees.

"So I was. Nevermind then! Estella, I think we ran in to your merry little band of Gryffindors just outside. Oh, and here they come now! Isn't that little mudblood simply to _die_ for? And Sirius! Such a shame he's a blood-traitor, he'd have made a perfect match for your sister," she stopped talking once the group in question approached.

"Mrs. Stroud," James said through gritted teeth, "Ellie was just leaving."

"Nonsense!" her mother exclaimed, "We just began catching up. It really has been too long since I've seen you, Estella."

"And whose fault do you suppose that is?" Sirius questioned.

Ellie winced as her mother's expression went from mocking to sneering, "Listen here, _boy_, like your little muggleborn friend here you aren't fit to lick the ground I walk on. I would highly recommend you refrain from catching an attitude with me." Sirius straightened his back and glared back into Lorella's eyes. Ellie gained a little more respect for him in that moment.

Seeing that her victim wasn't backing down, Mrs. Stroud huffed and looked to Ellie, "Estella...I'll see you over the Christmas holiday for your sister's engagement celebration. You will _not_ miss it. Come, Ariella. We have other places to be," And with that she left the bookstore.

Ellie felt like she'd been hit in the stomach, "Rosier? You're marrying Rosier?"

Ari rolled her eyes and sighed aggregately, "Of course I'm marrying him, Estella. That's been the plan for the past three years."

Her twin's new attitude never failed to catch her off guard, "I just didn't realize it would be so soon. You'll hardly be out of school," Ellie mumbled.

"Yes, well…," Ari had the decency to look uncomfortable, "People seem to be getting married young these days." And indeed they were. With the constant threat of Voldemort looming, young couples were marrying right out of school, most before they turned twenty.

"Ariella! Come!" The shrill voice of Mrs. Stroud called from Flourish and Blotts's doorway.

Ari hastily stepped towards Ellie and drew her in. Placing her lips right next to her ear, she whispered, "You and your friends need to leave, now. Go directly to wherever it is your staying and remain there. Promise me El—"

"Now Ariella!"

With one last pleading look at her sister, Ari left.

"What the bloody hell was that all about," Sirius asked from Ellie's side.

Ellie started after her sister, "I'm not exactly sure."

"Well that was exciting!" James clapped his hands together, "And now I'm starving. Who's hungry?" Against her better judgement and with her sister's imploring expression in the back of her mind, Ellie agreed to join the others for supper.

* * *

"Ah, that hit the spot," Sirius leaned back from the table and patted his stomach.

"I think I'm going to burst," Lily's face began looking a bit pale as she stared down at her now empty plate.

Ellie offered a muffled groan at her friend's comment, raising her head from the table, she glanced at Lily, "Well whatever you do, make sure to do it away from me."

James was still eating—his third helping.

"Honestly," Remus said incredulously, "Do you lot have absolutely no self-control?"

Ellie summoned the strength to throw a roll at him.

Catching the roll and setting it down on his plate, Remus continued, "I'll give you all five minutes and then we're leaving. I'm sure James's parents are expecting—," He was cut off by a loud bang from outside the pub. Startled out of their lethargy, the others jumped to their feet and raced to the door. From the window they could see people running out of the Daily Prophet's main office just across the street. Sirius, Remus, and James drew their wands.

"Lily, Ellie get under the table. Now!" James instructed. His command fell on deaf ears, both girls having also pulled their wands from their robes.

"Stubborn witches," he muttered, "Alright come on then. We'll—," A second bang shook the ceiling above their heads. Dust fell and coated the students. The pub's other patrons had already abandoned their tables and were running towards the door, straight at them.

"Ellie!" Sirius yelled, "Grab my hand! Lily you grab hold of Remus. James-," Whatever he had been about to say was cut off as a part of the ceiling fell from above them.

"Go!"

The group ran out the door and into the chaos that had erupted on Diagon Alley. Hundreds of witches and wizards were seeking shelter from the falling debris and the fire that had begun to overtake several of the shops. Not only that, but roughly a dozen figures were stalking towards the clamoring crowd. Dressed in severe black robes, their faces were obscured by black and silver masks.

"It's the Death Eaters," Remus said, the terrified expression on his face mimicked in expressions of the others.

James, his face pale and grave, drew the others into a small alleyway, "We are going to run straight to the nearest Floo. I'll lead. Ellie and Lily will follow behind me, and Sirius and Remus after them. Stop for nothing, understand?" They all nodded, "Good. Are we ready? I—," James's sentence was cut off by Lily's lips covering his. Ellie, Remus, and Sirius stared slack-jawed as the red-head backed him up against the brick wall and continued her assault.

Unable to tear her bewildered gaze from the two, Ellie missed Sirius's nearly inaudible "what the hell" and was entirely taken by surprise when he mirrored Lily's actions and pressed his lips firmly against hers. Alarmed for only a moment, she quickly closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms. The sound of screaming faded into the background, and the smell of sandalwood and broom oil overrode her senses. Moaning, Ellie grasped Sirius's hair in her fists and drew him closer to her. Responding to her encouragement, Sirius cupped the back of her neck with one hand and used the other to draw her lower body closer to him. In that moment, Ellie felt time stop.

"Don't worry about me; I'll wait," Remus's voice cut through the haze that had clouded Ellie's judgement. Pulling away from Sirius, she noticed that Lily and James had also just separated and were looking sheepishly at their friend.

"Sorry, Moony," James grinned, "It was entirely her fault." The 'her' in question hit him with her Flourish and Blotts bag.

"Now that you've all managed to collect yourselves, may we go? There's still the small matter of the _Death_ _Eaters_ just a block away."

After all apologizing to Remus, and explaining that the 'we could die' mentality had taken over, they began making their way to the floo in Ollivander's. Midway there, Ellie felt Sirius's fingers brush her own. She grabbed ahold of his hand, and didn't let go of it until they were at the Potter's.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I have to say, this chapter was hard for me to write. I'd wanted to offer some reflection on what happened in the previous chapter as well as emphasize the fear Ellie is facing. I hope that came across clear enough. Also, I wanted to test out a more descriptive writing style. Please let me know if you like it (or hate it too, I suppose)!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

September 1, 1977

The Hogwarts Express sped past miles and miles of green rolling hills, harsh winds causing ripples to run through the grass. Off in the distance, white capped mountains stood majestically against an azure sky. It was a heavenly sight, one that calmed any who looked upon it—no matter how tumultuous their thoughts. Looking out at the scenic landscape, one could escape their troubles and relax, if only for a few moments.

Forehead rested against the chilled glass, Ellie closed her eyes and tried to clear her head. She was unsuccessful in her efforts, though, and only succeeded in frustrating herself further. Letting out a harsh sigh, the troubled girl turned her attention to her friends.

They were a motley bunch, she reckoned. A werewolf, a muggleborn, three traitorous Purebloods, and Peter—whatever he was—made up their Gryffindor montage. Each had their flaws, but Ellie loved them all the same; thus the reason for her frustration. Besides Ariella, she'd never really cared for anyone before, and Ellie wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the sentiment. After all, as much as she loved Ari, lately her twin seemed to have nothing but contempt for her sister. No, she'd rather not 'love' anyone if she could help it; it was far too dangerous a thing. Unfortunately, Ellie suspected the very nature of love was such that it snuck up on you when you least expected it. Over the course of her years at Hogwarts she'd begun to recognize the emotion in her friends.

She'd seen it in Lily her first night at Hogwarts, separated from her sister for the first time, Ellie had leaded heavily on the red-head for support and friendship—both of which were given instantaneously and without question. She'd seen it in Remus during the numerous nights he spent drilling various lessons into her head; he never got frustrated with her, never let her believe she was anything more than brilliant. She'd seen it in James when he taught her to laugh again, and became the brother she didn't know she craved. She'd even seen it in Peter, the incredibly naive boy who would offer her his quill and his encouragement, despite her never offering either in return.

And finally, at some point in their strange relation ship Sirius Black had begun to love her. Ellie wasn't entirely sure when it happened. Perhaps the first time he'd congratulated her on a prank well done, or saved her a seat in the Great Hall, or maybe it was that wintery night in front of the fire when she'd laid all her troubles at his feet, and he'd gathered her in his arm and dried her tears.

As so, as Ellie was staring out at the passing landscape, she'd come to the realization that—like Ariella—those who loved her and who she loved in return may one day leave her. Surely that day was getting closer, even now the Hogwarts Express barreled through the countryside and to the place Ellie had called home for the last six years. They would all be together one last year, and then what? Would their friendships fade? Her thoughts turned down a more malevolent path. Or would they succumb to the malice that was slowly spreading throughout the Wizarding world: Voldemort. The attack that afternoon in Diagon Alley had opened all of their eyes to the grim reality that war was fast approaching. No one was safe; least of all a group of Gryffindors.

And therein lay the root of Ellie's quandary: as much as she loved her friends, would she survive losing them?

"Ellie. Ellie!"

A hand on her shoulder drew Ellie from her thoughts, "Hm? What is it?"

"We've just arrived. The others have already got their things and gone ahead," Lily sat down next to her, "You ok, Els? You were staring out that window a bloody long time."

Ellie smiled at her friend, she hoped reassuringly, "I'm fine Lils; just have a lot on my mind."

Lily patted the hand Ellie had resting in her lap, "Don't we all," she stood and pulled Ellie to her feet, "No use dwelling on it though. We're here now; together. Let's make the most of it, yes?"

After Ellie confirmed her agreement, the two girls gathered their things and began the long walk up to the castle.

* * *

The rowdy chatter of children bombarded Ellie's ears as she and Lily entered the Great Hall. The first years had yet to be sorted, and were milling around in the center of the room, staring in awe of the candles lit overhead. A sporadic movement caught Ellie's eye, and she looked to find James waving her and Lily over to the Gryffindor table. The girls took their seats next to their classmates. As they did so, McGonagall went to the front of the Hall and began calling students forward to be sorted.

"Alright there, Stroud?" Sirius whispered in her ear. The feel of his breath on her face sent a pleasant chill down her spine.

"Fine, yeah," she replied. He looked at her skeptically, "Really I am. Just got lost in my thoughts, as usual."

Sirius finally seemed to believe her, "Can't get that kiss out of your head, can you?" he asked, smirking.

Ellie responded by throwing her elbow into his side.

"Blimey!" Sirius exclaimed, "That hurt!" As if suddenly realizing he'd shouted, Sirius looked around to find the entire Great Hall staring back at him. Dumbledore looked amused, while McGonagall looked ready to deduct a hundred House points, and might have done so were Black not a Gryffindor.

"Hunt, Althea," Eyes fixed warningly on Sirius, the Transfiguration professor resumed calling first years forward.

Half an hour later, the last child ran to the Ravenclaw table and joined her new classmates. Dumbledore then stood and made his usual welcoming speech, only this time, warning students to not wander the castle grounds alone, and informing the third through seventh years that all Hogsmeade trips would now be chaperoned due to the frequency of attacks near the village.

"Now, I'm sure you're all hungry. Let the Feast…begin!" At the Headmaster's words mountains of food appeared on the table in front of them. James, as only James could do, had three rolls in his mouth and down this throat by this time Ellie had picked up her fork.

"It's like watching a rabid dog," Remus commented, disgusted.

Spooning mashed potatoes and steak into his mouth, James started to choke at the overload of food. Ellie tentatively reached around and thumped him on the back. Brown and white goo dropped back on his plate, and James gasped for breath with watering eyes.

"Serves you right you glutinous pig," Lily said, having just served herself lentil soup and one of the last few rolls.

"I think I'm full," Peter looked mournfully has his half empty plate, his own potatoes and steak taunting him.

Ellie chuckled and began heaping food onto her own plate. Suddenly, it was whisked away from her. She blinked, confused by the unexpected loss.

"Allow me," Sirius requested, and with her plate in hand he began filling it for her. The others looked on in surprise as he finished loading her plate and set it back down in front of her.

"T-thank you," Ellie said. Sirius smiled at her. Picking up his fork, he then continued on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Oi, Lily. Give me your plate," James demanded.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Not on your life, Potter." Ignoring her, he reached across the table and snatched it from in front of her. The edge of the plate clanged against that of her bowl and sent Lily's soup into her lap. They all looked on as a terrifying redness crept into the girl's face.

"Run, James," Ellie advised. Heeding her wisdom, the boy took off down the Hall and out the door. Calmly—too calmly—Lily wiped up as much of the soup and she could and slowly rose from the table. Without a word to the others she slid her want out of her robes and began walking after James.

Remus sighed. Setting down his cutlery, he motioned for Peter to follow him. Reluctantly, the other boy got up and the two left to try and prevent Lily from doing James any serious harm.

Having finished her meal whilst all of this was happening, Ellie took two biscuits from the table. She handed one to Sirius, and bit into the other. Propping her feet up in Lily's empty spot, Ellie leaded back against Sirius. The two chewed in companionable silence.

"Going to be a good year, isn't it?" Sirius said.

Ellie took the last bite of her biscuit. Smiling, she turned back to meet her favorite pair of grey eyes, "The best one yet."


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Thanks to all of you who have started following the story! And to infinateconstellations for reviewing (I don't really plan for Sirius and Ellie to have a 'talk' exactly, but I hope this chapter gives you want you were asking for)!

Enjoy and review!

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JKR. I only own Ellie. **

* * *

November 12, 1977

"Come on, Wormtail, keep up!" James shouted over his shoulder. Out of breath and struggling from behind the others, Peter could do nothing more than mutter curses in response.

It was their first visit to Hogsmeade of the year. September had kept everyone terribly busy with the start of term, and the weather in October had dissuaded many from visiting the village. Once all of the students had settled into their classes and the weather had cleared, the students were eager to enjoy the various shops and pubs.

The Marauders, Ellie, and Lily were on their way to the Three Broomsticks. Ellie, who had fervently fought to stay in the castle, was shivering violently despite her four layers of clothing, mittens, scarf, and cap. Her nose was a bright red, and she could feel the crisp wind chapping her lips. She was well and truly miserable. Lily, on the other hand, looked as though she were taking a leisurely stroll through the park. Despite the chill and light snow coating the ground, the red-head was in good-spirits and chatting excitedly with her sullen friend.

"I can't wait to visit Tomes and Scrolls!" she said eagerly, "I hear they just got in the newest edition of _A Wizard's Guide to Powerful_ _Enchantments_; can you believe it? I can't wait to get my hands on it!"

"The anticipation is killing me," Ellie said sarcastically through chattering teeth. She was losing feeling in her nose at this point.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Honestly Els, it's not that cold."

"Tell that to my frostbitten nose," she refuted. Suddenly, a wonderfully warm weight fell over her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Stroud. I won't let you freeze," Sirius smirked and tucked her in closer under his arm.

"My gallant hero," Ellie grinned in response and knocked the arm from her shoulders. At the boy's miffed expression, she shoved one glove covered hand into her pocket and drew Sirius closer with the other. Ellie then rested her this hand on the inside of his elbow. Relieved that she hadn't been pushing him away, Sirius grinned.

Lily looked on distastefully from the other side of Ellie, "I'm still not sure what to make of the two of you."

"I'm not entirely sure they even know what to make of themselves," Remus answered from in front of the trio.

Ellie blushed, but didn't allow their teasing to bother her. She and Sirius weren't "together" exactly; however, they were certainly more than friends. For now, Ellie was content to enjoy his company and allow him to be her personal space heater.

"Hurry up you lot!" James had stopped about ten yards ahead of the others, "I could've been at the Three Broomsticks an hour ago without the five of you to look after." He waited just long enough for Remus, Lily, Ellie, and Sirius to catch up then resumed his brisk march towards the village. The others held back to wait for Peter. Finally reaching them, the boy leaned forward with his hands on his knees and took several long breaths. Still hunched over, he raised his head to the rest of the group and wheezed.

"Are we there yet?"

* * *

The Three Broomsticks was Ellie's favorite place in Hogsmeade; in fact, it was many student's favorite location. Which made the fact that they managed to find an empty table very surprising. The six Gryffindors situated themselves into the heavy wooden chains. Madam Rosmerta, who made it a point to greet every one of her patrons, approached them.

"Lovely to see you, dears. What'll it be?" She asked. Ellie quite liked Madam Rosmerta. She was an slightly older witch, just over thirty, who carried herself like the teenagers who frequented her establishment. With her flaxen hair done up in the latest style, and her breast pushed up to her chin, Ellie had to admit that there was a good reason the majority of Hogwarts boys—and some girls—fancied the woman.

"Six butterbeers, ma'am," James replied, sitting up straight as if to appear on his best behavior. Madam Rosmerta nodded at the children and left to prepare their order. The four boys signed longingly after her.

Lily, though she would never admit it, did not appreciate James's wandering eye and elbowed him in the side.

The boy yelped and leaned away from her, "What in Merlin's name was that for?" he yelled. Lily refused to meet his eyes, "You annoy me," she said.

Thankfully, Madam Rosmerta appeared again with six butterbeers in tow. She set the drinks down on the table and James, having seemingly learned his lesson, avoiding staring at the _assets_ that were hanging in front of him. They all thanked the witch and picked up the frothy beverages.

"Mmmm," Ellie moaned as she sipped hers, "I've missed this."

Sirius nodded in agreement, "Nothing better than Madam Rosmerta's butterbeer," he said after taking a sip of his own.

Remus set his drink back down on the table, "So," he began, "what's on the agenda for today?"

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed excitedly, "Can we go to Tomes and Scrolls? Please? They have the newest edition of—,"

"_'__Of A Wizard's Guide to Powerful Enchantments'_," James finished for her, "Yes, Lily-pad, we know."

The red-head appeared affronted, "It's supposed to be a wonderful book," she huffed, "Remus wants to go too, don't you Remus?"

The boy in question appeared flustered, "Ah, yes, well actually, you see—"

"Spit it out Moony, I'm getting wrinkles."

Remus cut Sirius a glare, "I've got to go by Dogweed and Deathcap," he leaned forward and whispered, "Supposedly there's a new method of preserving baneberries that helps with my—uh—_monthly_ illness."

Lily grimaced, "Remus you know that's likely a load of codswallop."

"I know!" he said sternly enough to makes the others draw back form him, "I know. I have to try it though."

Peter, who had just finished his butterbeer, set his cup down. "I'll go with Moony then."

"I suppose I'll escort Lily—no, love, it's really no bother," he brushed aside her protest, "I'd like to get Brankovitch's autobiography anyway."

"That American seeker?" Sirius asked.

"That's the one," James replied. He took a gulp of his butterbeer and set it down again, "I've heard it's really interesting. He talks about his tryouts for the Finchburg Finches. You know, where he nearly lost his—"

"Yes, yes," Ellie interjected, "This is all very interesting. However, I don't want to go to Tomes and Scrolls nor do I want to go to Dogweed and Deathcap. We're in Hogsmeade! Surely you lot can think of something exciting to do?"

The others looked at her in silence.

"Ugh," she looked mournfully into her mug, "Hopeless."

Sirius raised and eyebrow at her, "What exactly is it you're wanting to do?"

"Frankly, anything besides going shopping for books and plants," she responded.

"Zonkos? Honeydukes?" he questioned.

"Exactly! Someplace fun!" she said enthusiastically.

Sirius downed his butterbeer, "I guess I'll go with Ellie. Meet back at the trail leading up to the castle around five?" The rest of the group nodded their agreement, "Right then, ready Ellie?"

"Y-yeah, sure. Just the two of us?" Her face had gone a bit pale.

"Oh go on, Els," Lily grinned evilly, "It'll be a wonderful date!"

Ellie's hazel eyes widened, "A won—what?" Lily's grin spread.

"Come on," Sirius took hold of her arm and led her away from the table. Ellie looked pleading back at Lily, who smiled and waved her on.

Wincing, Ellie faced the boy who gripped her arm and mentally prepared herself for their impromptu date.

* * *

An hour later, Sirius and Ellie left Zonkos and made their way to Honeydukes. Snow had begun to fall; the thatched roofs and cobblestone walkway quickly becoming coated with the white powder. She'd slipped several times already, and would've fallen had Sirius not caught her. On her last tumble, he'd grasped her hand and pulled her upright. She'd noticed a while later that he'd never let go of her hand. Ellie decided to not make a spectacle of it; silently enjoying the warmth that seeped from his body into hers.

Sirius and Ellie walked in silence; enjoying the rare few moments of calm that they could never get when with the others. They each loved their friends, but it was nice to be away from the constant chatter for a time. It took several minutes for then to reach their destination, and during that time the snow had started falling harder, a white haze obscuring Ellie's vision. She could see Sirius next to her, but had to rely on his guidance to get them to Honeydukes' door.

"Thanks," Ellie mumbled as she walked through the large door Sirius held open for her. He followed her inside and the two took a moment to brush the snow from their coats. Looking around, she noted that Honeydukes wasn't as crowed as she was used to; the snow likely having driven many back to the castle. A handful of students milled about the place, picking up sweets from the shelves deciding which ones to purchase. Ellie suddenly felt the freezing touch of melting snow hit her neck. She looked back to her companion who had just finished shaking the snow from his black curls. Guilty, he met her eyes. Rolling her own, Ellie removed a glove and reached up to brush away the flakes that hadn't fallen on her. Fingers running through his hair, she stilled, realizing what she was doing.

"S-sorry," she stammered and withdrew her hand.

Sirius smiled down at her, "No worries. I didn't mind at all."

Ellie's eyes followed as he brought a hand up towards her face. A second later she felt the underside of his thumb brush across her cheek "Had some on you there," he said.

The two looked at her other; neither wanting to break whatever spell it was that had captivated them. Unfortunately, it was broken for them as the door suddenly swung open and hit Sirius in the back.

"Oi," a voice called, "Watch where you're standing you two."

Shaken from her stupor, Ellie glared at the passing Ravenclaw—judging by the scarf he was wearing.

Sirius also appeared to have returned to normal, "So," he said, rubbing his hands together, "What'll it be?"

* * *

"We still have an hour until we're supposed to meet the others," Ellie said while chewing on a Salt Water Taffy, "Anything else you want to do?"

Sirius bit into his own candy, "Not really. Let's just find a spot to sit until it's time to go."

"And freeze to death? No thank you."

"I'll keep you warm, love," Sirius grinned. The chocolate caught between his teeth diminishing the offer.

So the two Gryffindors sat down on the benches next to the sign indicating the path to Hogwarts. Sirius leaned back on his palms whilst Ellie rested against his shoulder.

"That wasn't terrible," he muttered after a few minutes.

Ellie smirked, "No, not terrible."

"Good?"

"Good, yeah."

Sirius tensed suddenly.

"So…," he began, "We could do it again?"

Ellie bit her bottom lip, hesitant to blurt out an answer and sound too thrilled that he'd finally asked. Sirius seemed to misread her silence, "Not that we have to!" he amended, "I just figured that, well, I like you and you like me—I thought you liked me—but that's okay! We never have to talk about this again. In fact, let's pretend th—," He was cut off by Ellie pressing her lips against his.

The kiss started off as everything their first hadn't been. Gentle. Slow. But once he wrapped his mind around what was happening, Sirius cupped the back of Ellie's head with his hand and drew her even closer to him. Their kiss deepened, and the sudden brush of tongue against her lips shocked Ellie. Tentatively, she opened her mouth to allow him entrance. Encouraged by her reaction, Sirius moved his tongue against her own. Gasping into the kiss, Ellie began to mimic his actions, hoping she ended up doing something he liked. As she ran her tongue along the underside of his, Sirius moaned into her mouth, and she assumed he very much enjoyed what she was doing.

After a while, Sirius pulled away. To her horror, a whine escaped Ellie's mouth.

Chuckling, he brushed a loose strand of blonde hair from her eyes, "I could go on all day, but if you listen closely, you'll hear that we'll not be alone much longer."

Sure enough, several voices could be heard coming from down the snow covered path.

Ellie huffed. Laughing her, Sirius placed a chaste kiss on her red nose and gathered her in his arms.

"I do like you," she said after a moment.

Sirius looked down at her, bewildered, "I should hope so! You just snogged the shit out of me!"

Ellie pulled away from him and hit his arm, "I did not such thing!"

Grinning, Sirius pulled her close again and tucked her head under his chin, "Don't worry, love. You're secret is safe with me."

"Well look what we have here! Adorable aren't they?" The unmistakable voice of James Potter shouted from behind them. Ellie groaned.

Reluctantly, the two pulled apart and stood to greet their friends. James was carrying what appeared to be both his and Lily's items from Tomes and Scolls, while the red-head enjoyed a blood-flavored lollipop from Honeydukes. Remus's trip to Dogsweed and Deathcap was apparently unsuccessful, as his own arms were empty. Peter took up the rear, once more struggling to keep up with the rigorous pace James set.

"Oo!" Lily exclaimed after seeing Ellie's Honeydukes bag, "What did you get?"

"Nothing for you, greedy" Ellie glared mockingly at the girl and hid the bag behind her back.

"Rude," Lily shot back with a smile.

James walked to Ellie and wrapped her in a hug. He picked her up off her feet and swung her back and fourth, "I'm so excited!" he exclaimed as he set her back down, "I've always wanted a sister!"

Ellie was thoroughly confused. A sister?

Seeing her expression, James placed a hand on her shoulder, "Well, Sirius is basically my brother. And once you get married you'll become my sister-in-law. We'll be a family!"

Ellie could feel the blush spreading across her face and sought help from Lily, who only raised an eyebrow at her. Turning her imploring gaze to Remus, she was met with a smile. Deciding she'd had quite enough of her friends, Ellie shot them all a scowl and began stalking up to the castle, the sound of their laughter following her.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Summer semester is officially over! Sorry to go MIA, but finals are time consuming and terrible. This chapter was also a pain to write for some reason. Let me know what you think of it!

And thanks so much to all of you new followers!

**Disclaimer: Not mine. JKR's.**

December 24, 1977

Christmas time at Hogwarts was typically a wonderful affair. The castle, beautiful in its own right, transformed into a scene out of a fairytale. Wreaths of holly and mistletoe hung around the halls, and everlasting icicles coated the banister of the Grand Staircase. Twelve magnificent trees decorated the Great Hall, covered in lights and sparkling tinsel. If a break from classes didn't get you into the Christmas cheer, the ornamentation certainly did. At least, that was usually the case.

Though Voldemort himself was unable to penetrate the castle's walls, the very threat of him was able to break in. The usual Christmas cheer was absent from the halls; news of an attack on the Ministry of Magic having been published in the Daily Prophet a week ago. Students had ambled about the castle, waiting for word from their families. When news did come, some breathed a great sigh of relief, and others quietly packed up their things and left to be with their loved ones. Many parents had written their children to instruct that they remain at Hogwarts for the remainder of the holiday. And so Ellie found herself for the first time surrounded by her friends on Christmas Eve.

They were in their usual spots around the Common Room fire. Full on roast beef and gravy, black pudding, jacket potatoes, peas, and an overabundance of trifle, the young Gryffindors sat silently while their stomachs settled.

James, who had claimed one of the armchairs next to the couch, groaned, "Moony, cover for me tonight would you? I don't think I can move." He rubbed his bloated stomach affectionately.

Lily and James were on duty tonight as Head Boy and Head Girl. While the others were lounging about the Common Room, they would be walking the corridors, looking for any wandering miscreants. Lily jumped on the chance to have Remus as a patrolling partner instead of James.

"Oh, would you Remus? Please? I can't bare another patrol with him." She pleaded. Remus answered neither entreaty. He sat on the couch with one elbow propped up on the armrest, forehead resting in his palm. For a moment, Ellie thought he was ignoring the two; at least until his a great snore erupted from his mouth and echoed throughout the Common Room.

Startled from his own nap, Peter leapt off the couch with his wand raised, prepared to attack whichever beast threatened had them. He stood there for a moment, blinking slowly, before putting his wand away and shuffling up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

Sirius let out a chuckle. From her position, Ellie heard the low rumble in his chest and felt the vibrations against her cheek. They both sat in the armchair opposite James; Ellie tilted more on her hip with half of her body draped over Sirius. It was a rather comfortable position, and she fought pull of sleep that had claimed Remus and Peter.

After a moment, James let out a heavy sigh and stood to his feet. Rubbing the drowsiness from his eyes, he then walked over to Lily and extended a hand to her. To Ellie's astonishment, her friend allowed the boy to help her up from the couch. Stretching, Lily turned to address Ellie.

"It's a four hour shift, so we'll be back just past two o'clock. Don't wait up."

Yawning, Ellie responded cheekily, "Oh, don't worry. I won't."

Lily rolled her eyes at her friend and turned towards the portrait hall. Stopping, she glanced back at James, "Potter, are you coming?"

The sound of his name shaking him from his standing slumber, James made to follow her, "'Night Pads. 'Night Ellie," he mumbled.

"'Night Prongs."

"Goodnight, James."

As their Head Boy and Girl left the Common Room, the two remaining Gryffindors were enveloped in silence. Ellie desperately tried to keep her eyes open, but between the lulling cackle of the fire and Sirius's rhythmic breathing, she was quickly losing the battle. She shifted more of her weight onto Sirius in an effort to get more comfortable, the hem of her sweater riding up from the movement. Upon seeing the sliver of skin that was now visible to him, Sirius began to trace the outline of the cloud shaped birthmark on her hip with the tip of his finger.

Shuddering, Ellie muttered into his neck, "That tickles, you know."

Sirius didn't respond to her. Instead, he slowly moved his finger from her exposed hip and up her side under the sweater. Once he reached her ribs, Ellie's breathing quickened.

"And that?" Sirius mumbled into her hair, "Does that tickle?"

"N-no." Ellie could practically hear his grin. As Sirius continued his ministrations, she decided to ask the question that had been on her mind since the Hogsmeade trip.

"So—um—are we dating then?"

He continued to run his fingers along her side, the silence that was usually so comfortable between the two of them suddenly becoming overbearing. Ellie began to worry that perhaps she had misread the signs; had been mistaken in assuming the kisses they'd shared had been anything more that playful lust. _Oh, Merlin_, she thought, _I'm such a fool._

After a moment Sirius paused and turned to face her. One hand remaining on her side, he brought the other up to lightly caress her cheek. Blue eyes met grey and the emotion she saw in Sirius's expression laid to rest all doubts she'd experienced. Leaning forward, he allowed his mouth to hover over hers.

"Is that what you want?" He whispered against her lips.

Heart in her throat Ellie could hardly comprehend his question she was so focused on the mouth so achingly near hers. His full bottom lip was begging to be kissed, and she found herself more than willing to oblige. Said mouth suddenly opened to reveal perfect white teeth, the chuckle that accompanied Sirius's smile shaking Ellie from her less than decent thoughts.

Running his thumb gently along her jaw, he asked mockingly, "Like what you see, Stroud?"

Ellie pulled back from him—just an inch or so—and glared, "I was looking at the spinach caught in your teeth. You should really brush, you know."

Sirius laughed, "Yes well, oral hygiene aside, I would very much like to go out with you if that's what you want."

"You want to go out with me?"

"I've adored you since the day you put those damn bugs in mine and James's beds."

"You're a freak, Black."

"I'm your freak," The incredibly sexy grin that spread across his face had Ellie melting into a puddle on the floor.

She shook her head instead and once again placed it on his shoulder. Sirius tucked her head under his chin and his arm came around her waist to lightly trace her still visible birthmark.

"I'm not entirely sure when it happened," Ellie said quietly, "but I've come to realize that I don't ever want to experience a day without you in it."

Sirius leaned down and placed a kiss to the crown of her head, "You took the words from my mouth, love."

They sat like this for a while longer, the crackle of the fire the only sound in the Common Room. Ellie wondered how James and Lily were holding up on their rounds. It wasn't the first time they'd patrolled together, but every time before Lily had come back irate and huffing about 'that toerag, Potter', so she found herself hoping that perhaps James wouldn't bother her too much this time. Then again, now that they'd kissed, Ellie was quite sure anything James did would irritate Lily. No one had spoken about their 'little bout of insanity' as Lily so eloquently put it since it had occurred. Sometimes Ellie fancied she'd imagined the whole thing. The only reassurance she had that it had actually taken place was when Sirius tried to tease Lily about it—and had wound up with boils all over his face for an hour. The topic was dutifully avoided after that.

"Ellie?" Sirius asked.

"Hm?" She mumbled in response.

"It's getting late, and you look like you're about to fall asleep. Time for bed, you think?"

Groaning, she replied with some unintelligible version of 'I suppose' and removed herself from Sirius's lap. Arms clasped over her head, she slowly stretched as she turned to face Sirius. He was standing closer than she'd expected him to be. Dark hair tousled and grey eyes shining, Ellie was once again struck by how handsome he was.

"You've really got to control yourself, Stroud."

"Sod off, Black. I'm allowed to inspect the goods before purchasing."

Laughing outright, Sirius wrapped his arms around her, "But you've already purchased, love," His lips met hers in a chaste kiss. Pulling back slightly, he murmured, "I'm yours."

Ellie grinned and sought out his lips once more with her own. They kissed languidly for several more minutes before Sirius pulled away.

"Do you think we should wake Remus?" he asked.

She looked over to their slumbering friend, "No, best let him sleep."

He cupped her check in his palm and placed one more kiss to her forehead, "Sweet dreams, Ellie."

"Goodnight, Sirius."

* * *

"Oh, Merlin, Ellie. Ellie! Wake up. Wake up!"

Ellie groaned and forced her eyes open as she sat up. Bracing herself for the brightness of the morning sun, she was surprised to see that it was still pitch black in the dormitory. Giving her eyes a moment to adjust, she was soon about to make out the outline of Lily's form sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Lily, darling, someone had better be dead."

"Potter kissed me!" The red-head's tone bordered on hysteria.

"Oh wonderful. Glad that's all worked out then. Can I go back to sleep now?" Ellie lay back down and snuggled into her pillow.

Said pillow was suddenly ripped from under her head, "This is serious, Estella!"

Ellie muttered obscenities under her breath and sat back up, "Didn't you plant one on him not too long ago?"

"I thought we were going to die! And if I recall correctly Black kissed you as well!" Lily retorted.

"Black and I are also going together now, so there's that."

Momentarily silenced, Lily had a hard time responding. She seemed to deflate a bit instead, and Ellie became concerned for her friend.

"What's this about, Lily?"

"Potter also asked me out again, and I…I said yes."

Successfully hiding her shock, Ellie asked, "And this is a bad thing why?"

Exasperated, Lily huffed, "I've spent the last two years thinking of every possible way to say the word 'no', and all of the sudden 'yes' just slips out! Oh, you should've seen the look on his face, Ellie. There's no way I can back out."

"I don't really understand why you'd want to back out, Lils. James has come a long way in the past two years. I think you should give him a chance."

"But what if it doesn't work?"

Ellie's mind slipped to Sirius and their newly established relationship, "If it doesn't work than at least you tried. But Lily, what if it does work? What if you end up together for the rest of your lives? Are you really prepared to turn your back on that chance just because of how James _used_ to be?"

Lily was quiet for a few moments. Through the darkness Ellie felt her friend eyeing her, "You've grown up, Els."

"James has too, Lily. And Sirius. Join us would you?"

"Ugh. Fine. I'll give him one chance. _One_."

Grinning, Ellie leaned forward and enveloped Lily in a hug, "Oh, I'm so excited!"

Tentatively returning the hug, Lily asked, "Why are you excited?"

Ellie let go of her friend and reclined with her palms on the mattress, "_The day I decide to swim naked in the Black Lake is the day I agree to go out with James Potter._ You're words exactly, dearest. I'll be sure to hold a towel for you. The lake is terribly cold this time of year."

The only response she received was the slap of her pillow against her face.


	20. Chapter 20

March 1978

Winter had come and gone, much to Ellie's relief, and spring had arrived with warmer weather and budding flowers. It had also brought the Easter holiday which Ellie and her friends were immensely excited about. Unfortunately, despite technically being on vacation at the Potter's, they were drowning in piles of homework as well as preparations for their N.E.W.T.s in July. The sixth Gryffindors had spent their entire week off writing essays and studying. They were due back at Hogwarts the next day, and none were any more rested now than at the beginning of the holiday.

After enjoying a delicious Easter dinner prepared by James's mother, the students had decided to take advantage of the remaining sunlight and resume their schoolwork outside. The Potter's property ran alongside a brook with a couple of benches along its bank. Peter was reclined in one with a still-closed book in his lap, and James and Lily occupied the other, both of them bent over a Transfiguration book. They'd brought on old quilt along with them and spread it out of the ground. Remus sat with his legs folded near its corner, brushing his quill absentmindedly against his chin while focusing entirely on his Charms essay. Ellie and Sirius were also on the quilt, she sitting crossed legged and reading up on the Polyjuice Potion and running her fingers through Sirius's hair, the boy in question was laying in her lap—sleeping. The sounds of the small stream in the background and the warmth from the sun overhead had lulled them all into a trancelike state. For the first time in nearly seven years they were all entirely comfortable co-existing quietly.

Until Sirius woke up.

Ellie yelped as his head came up and knocked the book from her hand. Glaring, she picked it up and brushed off the cover.

"Oi! Prongs!" Sirius yelled.

"I'm right here, Pads," James responded with amusement, "I'm literally five feet away from you, mate."

"Ah, yes, splendid." Standing, he began wiping the wrinkles from his trousers.

Remus rolled his eyes, "Did you have something to say, Padfoot?"

Giving up on his trousers, Sirius stretched and stood next to Ellie who remained on the ground. He placed his hand on her head and mussed her hair before the feel of teeth digging into his thumb caused him to pull it away.

"I was just recalling all of the times Prongs and I swam in this bit of water here. Had a blast we did," he turned to the others with a crazed glint in his eyes, "Fancy we go for a swim?"

"B-but it's probably freezing, Padfoot!" Peter exclaimed.

"Very good observation, Wormtail. Yes, it is probably very cold." Sirius responded.

Ellie knew that Sirius himself was harmless enough, but the excitement she spotted in James's eyes had her worried. She shared a look with Lily, both girls suspecting there was trouble ahead.

"What's the wager then, mate?" James asked while standing.

Giving up on his essay, Remus tossed his parchment aside, "Merlin, are the two of you really going to do this?"

"Do what?" Ellie asked tentatively.

James went to stand next to Sirius who was looking out over the brook. Smiling back at the others Sirius answered, "Not the two of us Moony, _all_ of us."

"I'm not doing a damn thing if I don't know what it is," Lily said dryly. Ellie nodded her agreement.

"It's simple Lily-pad. We all make wagers with one another, and then jump into the creek repeatedly. Whoever stops first loses to everyone, and whoever stops second to last only loses to the winner." James explained.

"Absolutely not," Ellie said, "No Sirius, don't look at me like that. That water is probably near freezing still. I'll not catch a cold because of your stupidity."

"Aw come-on, love," he whined, "It'll be fun."

"You'll do it won't you Lily?" James asked pleadingly.

The lack of immediate 'no' caused Ellie's head to swivel around to Lily and fix her friend with a glare. Lily at least had the decency to look sheepish, "I've never done something like this before, Els. It could be fun."

Ellie threw her hands up in the air, "And what about you?" She asked Remus.

"I'll never hear the end of it if I don't."

"Oh for fucks sake. Fine," she stood and brushed the stray blades of grass from her clothes, "What'll we wager then?"

Sirius, who looked positively giddy, answered, "Okay, I'll go first. If I lose I'll buy everyone something from Zonkos."

Lily went next, "We're all in Defense right? Ok, good. I'll do everyone's next Defense assignment."

Remus offered to loan out his tutoring alibies which no one really considered a wager being that he already did that, but it was accepted. Peter offered to run errands for whoever he lost to for a day—James and Sirius seemed to enjoy the prospect of this one.

All eyes then fell on Ellie, "Oh, um…a pint of firewhiskey for whoever I lose to."

"That's my girl," Sirius grinned.

James went last, "I'll offer the invisibility cloak for one night." His smirk fell as everyone sized up their new enemy, "Kidding! I'll—"

"Oh no, Potter," Ellie chastised, "You said it, now you have to follow through."

James hung his head.

Sirius clapped his hands, "Alright then! Line up alongside the water." The all moved to do as instructed. When Ellie went to pass Sirius he snuck are arm around her waist. Pulling his back against his chest, he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "We have to beat Prongs, love."

Ellie knew the exact reason for Sirius's insistency. As nice as it was to be constantly surrounded by other students, most of which were friends, the couple craved their alone time. Having not gotten any since Christmas, they were feeling the lack of it. The invisibility cloak meant one spectacular night in the Room of Requirement and away from the others.

Ellie placed a quick kiss on Sirius's cheek, "Way ahead of you, babe."

The couple met up with their friends along the edge of the stream. The water only appeared to be four feet or so deep. While this was nice for James, Sirius, and Remus—who were all over six feet—the girls and Peter were at a disadvantage as more of their bodies would be submerged.

They lined up side by side; Ellie was in-between Remus and Lily. Jackets and shoes were removed, and the girls tossed their hair up in high buns.

"Ready you lot?" James hollered from his position at the end of the line. They all responded with 'yes', "Okay then. On the count of three: One! Two! Three!"

They jumped.

At first, Ellie's body didn't ever register the cold. She immediately went numb. It was only after she'd climbed out of the creek, soaked to her chin, that the chill began to set in. Shivering violently, she noted that Remus was already sitting down and ringing out his shirt. Having the least to lose, it was no surprise that he'd decided to sit this 'activity' out. Lily was still standing, though, her teeth chattering just as bad as Ellie's. Peter was also still in the game, as was James. However, Ellie was shocked to see Sirius sitting down, and even more shocked to see him clutching his ankle.

She and the others went over to him. Kneeling down, Ellie began inspecting his ankle.

"I think I jumped down on a rock," Sirius said through gritted teeth, "As soon as I hit it my ankle went sideways."

"It definitely looks broken, Pads," James agreed after seeing the swelling.

Peter looked uneasy, "Maybe we should stop."

"No!" Sirius exclaimed, "I mean, you four finish the game. Moony and I will referee."

"Are you sure?" Ellie asked concernedly.

Though his face was pale, and he was in clear pain, Sirius grinned at her, "I'm fine, love," Lowering his voice he said, "Win us that cloak!"

Ellie's eyes widened. Of course, now that Sirius was out she was alone against Peter, James, and Lily. Peter was a nonissue, and she could probably beat Lily, but James…beating James would not be easy. The four remaining contestants lined up on the edge of the creek. Now that they'd jumped in once and knew what to expect, none of them really fancied the idea of doing it again.

"On the count of three!" Sirius yelled, "One! Two! Three!"

But they all jumped anyway.

* * *

Peter managed to stay in the game for another two rounds; Lily made it to seven. Now, twelve jumps in, only Ellie and James remained. Both were near frozen, and as the sun set and the breeze picked up, their friends were likely just as miserable. Lily, Remus, Peter, and Sirius huddled together under the quilt they'd been relaxing on just an hour before. Ellie would have given anything to have a blanket of her own to wrap around herself. Instead, she met James's exhausted eyes and prepared for another jump.

"Can we please just call it a draw?" Lily begged, "This is madness!"

"Sorry Lily-flower, no can do," James responded through chattering teeth, "Count us off would you, mate?" He asked Sirius.

"You alright to keep going, Els?" Sirius asked her. She nodded. It really was all she could do, as she was fairly convinced any attempt to speak would result in her accidently biting off her tongue.

"Fine then. One, two, three!"

Ellie jumped. As soon as her feet hit the bottom of the creek, she slipped and went completely under. Having only ever gotten wet below her chin, the shock of the freezing water hitting her face and entering her mouth knocked the breath from her. Once she managed to find her footing, Ellie pushed herself into a standing position and climbed back onto land. On her hands and knees, she fought to regain her breath. Finally inhaling deeply, she rose to her feet. To her surprise, she looked over to see James was sprawled out on the ground.

He was clearly exhausted, his eyes were closed and he seemed to be fighting to breathe just as she had been.

"You ok, James?" Lily asked.

The boy groaned in response. After a moment he managed to get himself into a sitting position, "I'm done," he said.

"You're done?" Ellie inquired, "Like, you-lose-I-win done?"

James fell back on to the grass, "Yes, Stroud. That's what I mean."

The others removed themselves from the quilt and joined Ellie and James; Sirius leaning on Remus and hopping on his good foot.

"You hear that, Sirius? I won!"

He grinned and enveloped her in a hug, "Wonderfully done!" Letting go of her he then turned to James who had finally—and slowly—risen to his feet.

"Better luck next time, Prongs."

"I'll let you know what I want from Zonkos," James retorted.

Sirius appeared baffled, "But I was injured! I didn't lose!"

"Did you win?" Lily asked, "No? Then you lost, Black."

"You're not going to beat that reasoning, Pads," Remus said.

Sirius turned to Ellie for assistance, but she had disappeared from her position beside him, "Ellie?"

"I don't think you'll be getting any help from her," James said, amused and staring off into the distance.

Sirius turned to see what he was looking at. Entirely through with being outdoors, Ellie had wrapped the discarded quilt around her and was halfway to the house.

"She's got the right idea of it. Come on, James," Lily instructed, and the group of near frozen Gryffindors followed their friend back inside.


	21. Chapter 21

**April 1978**

Despite having been swamped with essays and studying, the Easter holiday came as a much needed break to all students. Now that they'd returned to Hogwarts, preparation for N.E.W.T.s was taking precedent above all other activities—including the leisurely ones—which is why Lily, Ellie, and Mary had been in the library all Saturday instead of enjoying Hogsmeade. As much as she would love to have been sipping a butterbeer and shopping around the village, Ellie found herself becoming more and more concerned that she wouldn't make the marks she needed on her N.E.W.T.s. Lily had always been the brains of the bunch, and Mary did fairly well herself, but the only _Outstandings_ Ellie had ever received were because of their efforts combined with Remus's. It would be a miracle if she could pull off the five _Exceeds_ _Expectations_ she needed all on her own.

"Are the two of you almost finished? I'm not really in the mood to study through dinner," Mary forcefully shut her Herbology book.

Of the very few female friends Ellie had, she'd always had a soft spot for Mary. Mary and Lily were polar opposites, and while she loved Lily like a sister, talking to someone who wasn't quite so…intense…was nice on the occasion that Ellie needed a more logical solution to a situation. All of this being said, Mary had been acting very strange for the past few weeks. The normally cheerful and social girl was becoming more and more withdrawn and easily angered. Ellie suspected her change in behavior had something to do with the lack of sleep she'd been getting. Both she and Lily had noticed that for the past few days they'd gone to bed well before Mary and woken up for breakfast only to find she'd already gone downstairs, which was odd because they usually all left together. This, combined with her attitude change, had Ellie becoming increasingly concerned for her friend.

"I think we'll just be another few minutes. I've got to talk Ellie through this concept one more time, but if you want to go—," Lily stopped talking when Mary collected her things and left the table. Both girls watched, dumbfounded, as she stalked out the door without another word to the two.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ellie asked.

Lily shook her head, "I have no idea; something is obviously wrong though. Has she said anything to you?"

"Nothing. Honestly, we haven't said much to each other for a while besides 'hi', 'bye', and 'pass the biscuits'. I'm surprised she even showed up today actually."

"Hm," Lily's eyes were trained on the library door.

"Let's finish here then go to dinner," Ellie suggested, "We'll sit her down before bed and find out what's wrong."

* * *

"It's half past midnight, Lils. Where the hell is she?" Ellie was having a hard time keeping her eyes open, and based on the lethargic expression on Lily's face, she was as well.

The girls had been waiting for the past four hours for Mary to come upstairs. They'd started in the Common Room, where they'd been waiting with the Marauders, who called it quits just after ten. After waiting another hour they'd moved to their dormitory, both girls settling into Lily's bed and trying desperately to stay awake. Lucy had stumbled in about thirty minutes ago, mumbled something about Frederick Freely, and promptly passed out on her bed, snoring shortly thereafter. Ellie and Lily tried to keep their giggles quiet as they maintained vigilance.

"I don't know," Ellie could her the frustration in her friend's voice, "but I'm really starting to worry. It's not like Mary to stay out this late; even recently she's at least been back in the Common Room before we've gone to bed."

"Do you think we should get McGonagall?"

Lily thought for a moment, "Let's give her another thirty minutes. If she's not back by then we'll go wake McGonagall."

And so the girls continued to wait. Ellie had to repeatedly pinch her arm in an effort to keep herself awake. After ten minutes of this she'd worn out the spot on her arm and started pinching Lily. This lasted far longer than she'd anticipated, mostly because Lily had fallen asleep and it took a couple of pinches to wake her up.

One o'clock came and went with no sign of Mary. Gathering their nerve, the girls went downstairs to wake the Fat Lady.

"Erm, excuse me?" Lily said tentatively. She received no response. "Excuse me?"

"Oh for Merlin's sake. Oi! Wake up, lady!" At just after one in the morning, Ellie's patience had abandoned her two hours ago.

Startling awake, the Fat Lady shook the sleep from her eyes. Upon seeing the girls, she glared and crossed her arms, "Do you have any idea what time it is? You can't possibly have anywhere decent to be at this hour!"

Ellie rolled her eyes, "We need you to get Professor McGonagall."

"Whatever do you need the Professor for at such a late hour? Surely it can wait until morning," the Fat Lady looked at the girls in bewilderment.

"I can assure you, _madam, _that we have a very good reason to wake her. We think somethings happened to our dorm mate." Lily answered.

"Humph," the woman in the portrait signed, "Very well. I'll be back in a moment. Do _not_ move." With that, she turned around and was soon out of sight.

"Bloody stubborn woman," Ellie muttered.

They only had to wait a few minutes before the Portrait hole opened to reveal a rather stern-faced McGonagall. Her sleep roused appearance was drastically different from her classroom one. Light brown and slightly greying hair was braided down her back, and a deep red robe covered her peach colored night gown. So used to seeing her Head of House in nothing but black and green, Ellie was somewhat taken aback by her grandmotherly appearance.

"I assume you have an acceptable reason for waking me?" Despite her uncharacteristic dress, the usual snap in McGonagall's voice was still there—which comforted Ellie oddly enough.

"Yes, Professor. Mary hasn't come to bed yet. We're worried something may have happened to her." Lily answered.

A troubled expression crossed McGonagall's face, "And you're sure she isn't simply wondering the castle? Perhaps with a boy?"

Ellie didn't even need to stop and consider that possibly, "No, ma'am. Mary isn't like that. She's been a bit off recently, but she's never stayed out this late. In all the seven years we've been here she's been in bed no later than midnight, and even that's only because we were throwing a par—a-a study session." James and Sirius wouldn't thank her for nearly spilling details of their Quidditch celebrations to their Head of House.

"Hm," McGonagall seemed to consider this information, "Come with me then. The two of you will wait in my office while I go alert the Headmaster."

The girls followed their Professor out the Portrait hole and down several hallways to her office. After instructing them to sit and not touch anything, she left to go wake Dumbledore.

"I wish I'd thought to grab my slippers," Ellie mumbled as she sat down in one of the chairs across from McGonagall's desk and raised her feet from the cold stone. Lily took the seat next to her and sat cross legged, tucking her own bare feet underneath her legs.

"I hope Mary's okay," Lily said quietly.

Seeing the anxious expression on her friend's face, Ellie tried to reassure her, "I'm sure she's fine, Lils. Probably fell asleep in the library or something; you know how tired she's been."

"I know," Lily replied, "Something just feels off though. I can't help but feel like something really bad has happened."

Ellie chose to keep her agreement to herself.

* * *

It was over an hour later when McGonagall came to fetch them. The sound of the old wooden door swinging open waking the girls from whichever level sleep they'd managed to settle into. Despite their weariness, the look on McGonagall's face had them awake and alert. The older woman's face was pale, the few wrinkles she had now appearing deeper and more severe. Ellie knew immediately that something was wrong.

"What's happened," Lily beat her to the question.

"The two of you had better come with me," their Head of House turned and exited the office.

Startled, the girls leapt to their feet and followed. McGonagall led them to the Hospital Wing where Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore were crowded around an occupied bed. The Headmaster, who Ellie had never seen without a smile, was grim-faced. He and Madam Pomfrey parted to allow the girls access to the hospital bed.

"Oh, Merlin," Lily gasped upon seeing the bed's occupant.

Mary lay tucked under the covers, her brown hair framing her face. From what Ellie could see, bruises and scrapes covered nearly every inch of visible skin; the worst of which was a broken nose and split lip. Tear immediately sprung into Ellie's eyes.

"W-what happened?" she asked the Headmaster.

"Miss McDonald has been attacked. Mr. Filch found her in the Astronomy Tower a short while ago," Professor Dumbledore's usually cheery voice was hard and as angry sounding as she'd ever heard it. The dangerous glint in his eyes making her realize that the stories about Dumbledore's greatness were factual indeed. This was one wizard whose wrath she never wanted to be at the receiving end of.

Lily, who had situated herself on the bed next to Mary, turned to the adults, "Will she be alright?"

Madam Pomfrey answered, "Her physical injuries are relatively superficial. Once she wakes up we'll be able to administer Skele-Gro for her nose. I've already applied a healing lotion to her cuts, so those should be closing up soon," the Healer glanced at Professor Dumbledore, who seemed to encourage her to continue, "However, as she has not yet awakened, we are unable to assess the emotional and mental consequences of her attack. We won't know more until she regains consciousness."

"What does that mean?" Ellie looked pleading to Professor McGonagall.

"It means that it is very likely Miss McDonald was hexed. Unfortunately, since she is unconscious and her attacker is nowhere to be found, we don't know who attacked her or with what spells," the woman answered.

Ellie sat on Mary's other side and took her limp hand in hers. Stroking it gently, she looked down and spotted flakes of red under the girl's fingernails. _Well I'll be damned_, she thought, _she fought back_, "May we stay with her?"

The adults shared a look. Typically, it was forbidden for uninjured students to stay in the Hospital Wing overnight, however, as it was nearing three o'clock, Ellie hoped they'd make an exception.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, "Miss McDonald's parents will be here to collect her tomorrow; it might do her good to have some company until then. We'll leave you ladies to it."

Madam Pomfrey stepped forward and closed the curtain surrounding the bed. Ellie waited until the sound of footsteps disappeared before climbing onto the hospital bed. Lily looked to the rickety chair next to bed that was designated for guests before shrugging her shoulders and climbing in next to Mary as well. Both girls lay on either side of their friend, Ellie gently holding Mary's right hand and Lily softly stroking her hair. The met eyes over Mary's head.

"Who do you think it was?" Lily whispered.

Ellie racked her brain for any hint of who may have been behind Mary's attack, "I really don't know. More than likely a Slytherin though."

"Do you think it was…_You-Know-Who_ related?" the fear in Lily's voice was evident.

Ellie furrowed her brows as she contemplated the possibly, "Not directly, but it very easily could've been someone looking to join him after school. You know how it is, Lily, the biggest and baddest at Hogwarts become Death Eaters first."

This was the first time there had ever been an assault on another student though. The implications of this attack were impossible to ignore: Voldemort's influence was growing stronger, so strong in fact, he'd essentially been able in infiltrate Hogwarts via a student who wasn't even a Death Eater yet.

"It'll be ok, won't it Els?"

"I don't know, Lils. I really don't."


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Ahem...so...this chapter marks the beginning of why this story is rated M. If such content offends you, read only the bottom section as it is very important to the story. On another note, this is my first time writing anything of this nature, so please, go easy on me. Enjoy and review!

**Disclaimer: Property of JK Rowling and all that. **

May 29, 1978

Mary's parents arrived just after breakfast the next morning. They'd spoken briefly with the Headmaster before going to see their daughter in the Hospital Wing. Since she was still unconscious, it was unanimously decided that Mary would go to St. Mungo's until she recovered. Lily and Ellie, who had gone to the Great Hall to eat a quick breakfast, returned just in time to say goodbye. They watched helplessly as she was carted away.

Later that afternoon, Ellie struggled through Transfiguration. It was without a doubt Ellie's worst subject. Unfortunately, it was also one of the classes she'd chosen to N.E.W.T. in. Why, she had no idea, but it was far too late to change her mind now. Halfway through McGonagall's lecture, Ellie had already nodded off twice, and she was seconds away from doing it again before a levitating note settled on top of her closed book. The parchment was folded to resemble a star—Sirius's signature design (unoriginal as it may be). Unfolding it, Ellie read the message to herself.

_9: 00 p.m. Room of Requirement __—SB_

The Room of Requirement? Ellie looked questioningly at Sirius, who in turn was looking everywhere but at her. She rolled her eyes, _childish git._ No matter though, she'd just ask Lily about it later.

* * *

The day drug on slowly, until finally it was time to meet Sirius. She's discovered from Lily that the Room of Requirement was located on the seventh floor and only revealed itself to someone who need it for some reason. After several minutes of aimlessly wandering the seventh floor and becoming quite concerned it was already past nine, Ellie finally stumbled upon a door she'd never noticed before. Tucked away in a dark corner, it was fairly nondescript, the only embellishment being a fine gold filigree around the edges. Steeling herself with a deep breath, Ellie turned the gold knob and entered the Room of Requirement.

The room was dimly lit by suspended candles; the only other light coming from a small table with three tall taper candles. Seated in one of two chairs at the table was Sirius. Ellie slowly approached as he stood to greet her.

"Right on time, love." He said while pulling out her chair.

As she sat, Ellie continued to inspect the room. A large fire roared at one corner, a fine leather couch sitting in front of it. Apart from that, the table was the only other piece of furniture in the room. A deep red cloth covered it, gold candles in the center. However, the most attractive part of the whole scene was the plate of shepard's pie sitting before her.

"This is amazing, Sirius," she said.

Grinning, he poured them each a glass of elderflower wine and returned to his seat. Unlike her, Sirius was dining on roast and mashed potatoes, "I'm glad you like it. The house elves prepared the food though, afraid I can't take credit for that. Shepard's pie is your favorite isn't it?"

"It is. How did you know?"

"Ah, um, well," Sirius cleared his throat, "I've kind of been watching you at dinner for the past few weeks. Most meals you eat fairly steadily, but you pretty much devour shepard's pie as soon as you sit down."

Ellie groaned and covered her face with her palms, "Wonderful, my boyfriend's been stalking me while I _devour_ my dinner."

Sirius took a sip of his wine and set the glass back down, "I was just trying to figure out what foods you liked."

"You couldn't have just asked?"

A red tint crossed his cheeks, "Erm, yes, I suppose that would've worked."

Sensing his embarrassment, Ellie reached across the table and took his hand in hers, "Everything is wonderful Sirius, really. I'm very impressed."

Finally looking please with himself, he smiled and gestured towards her plate, "Please, eat. I'd hate for your food to get cold."

They spent the next hour slowing eating, sipping on the elderflower wine—Sirius had brought along two bottles, and making small talk. The topics of discussion ranged from NEWT preparation to gossiping about Lily and James's most recent trip to Hogsmeade.

"She came back all red-faced and tight-lipped, did you notice?"

"Yes! Prongs was the same way. Moony, Wormtail, and I spent all weekend trying get him to tell us what happened."

"Oh believe me, Lily was just as stubborn…you don't think they, you know. Do you?" Ellie whispered.

"'Had sex', Ellie. The phrase you're looking for is 'had sex'," amusement shone from his grey eyes.

She rolled her own, "I know what it's called, Black."

"Uh-oh. Reverting back to last name only are we, Stroud?"

Ellie shot him a glare.

Chuckling, Sirius stood. He came around the table and held a hand out to Ellie, "I've brought dessert as well. Thought we might move this party to the couch though."

Suddenly feeling nervous, Ellie looked at the proffered hand for several moments. Seeing her discomfort, Sirius used said hand to tilt her chin up so that their eyes met, "Hey. Nothing is going to happen if you don't want it to. If you want to call it a night right now and go back the Common Room we will."

Ellie stared into Sirius eyes and saw nothing there but warmth and affection. Firmly setting her fears aside she took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. Sirius led her to the leather couch where a small white box sat on one of the cushions. After directing her to sit, Sirius picked up the box and sat down in its place.

"Now these I will take credit for. It was hell convincing the house elves to let me use the oven and even more hell getting the recipe right, but I think they came out okay."

Ellie looked down at the box Sirius had just set in her lap. Slowly, she reached down and removed the lid.

"Oh, Sirius," Ellie's eyes filled with tears. In the box was an entire lemon tart.

"I know you usually get them from Ariella, but…" he trailed off, unwilling to accidentally upset Ellie.

It was silly to get emotional over food, she knew, but for the past few years on her birthday Ari had always sent her a letter and a lemon tart. Today though, on their seventeenth birthday, Ellie had received nothing. No letter. No lemon tart. She'd always known that by tossing the gift into the fire and never responding she was discouraging Ari from writing her, but she'd never expected for her estranged twin to stop so soon.

"I miss her so much, Sirius. Sometimes I think about her and it…it hurts. I can physically feel my heart breaking."

Sirius took the box from her lap and gathered her in a hug. She tucked her head under his chin clenched at his sweater, the familiar smell of him calming her. Finally settled, she pulled away and allowed him to brush the tears from her cheeks.

"I didn't mean to upset you," The misery on his face made Ellie's heart ache. She reach forward and cupped his face between her palms.

"You have made this my most memorable birthday. I'm not upset over the lemon tart. In fact, I'm very thankful that you care enough to notice Ari hadn't sent one. You have made me incredibly happy, Sirius Black," she leaned forward and caught his lips in a soft kiss. Pulling away, she grinned, "Share with me? After dinner there's no way I can eat the whole thing."

After eating lemon tart until nothing but crumbs remained in the box, Sirius and Ellie fell into the silence they both loved. He'd tossed the empty box on the floor and reclined across the couch with Ellie laying at his side, head resting on his shoulder. The gentle brush of Sirius's fingers through her hair completely relaxing her.

"Hey, Ellie?"

"Hm?"

"Happy Birthday."

Eyes closed, she turned her head towards his and accepted the kiss he placed on her lips. Sirius's hand rose to cradle the back of her head as she responded. Suddenly tired of the soft touch of lips, Ellie threw caution to the wind and began kissing Sirius with the force of years of pent up longing. As he moaned into her, she was lifted and re-positioned. Looking up, Ellie found herself face to face with Sirius, the front of her body flush against his. Hovering over her, he responded to her enthusiasm with equal fervor. They continued this way for several minutes, the intensity of Sirius's kisses communing her. Each press of his lips to hers drawing her in and causing an unfamiliar heat to stir in her stomach and slowly work its way lower.

She pulled her mouth from his, "Sirius. Please."

Gasping, he withdrew from her mouth and began to lightly kiss her neck, "Please what, love?"

She groaned as he moved lower and lower, his mouth now resting just above the collar of her shirt, inches from her breast, "I need you," she begged.

Sirius stilled. To her dismay, he pulled away and met her eyes, "Are you sure, Ellie? I can end this now, but if we keep going it's going to get harder to stop."

"I'm sure," she hoped her voice betrayed none of the fear she was feeling.

Eyes softening, Sirius bent down to kiss her gently once more. Moving from her lips, he positioned his mouth right next to her ear, "I love you, Ellie."

Heart thumping wildly in her chest, Ellie turned her head to look at Sirius, "I love you, too."

Seconds later, Ellie's shirt was removed, followed quickly by her trousers and shoes. Left in nothing but her red bra, matching knickers, and her ruby necklace she never took off, Ellie allowed his appreciative gaze to roam her body.

"You're beautiful, love."

Blushing, she reached up and tugged on the bottom of his sweater. After kissing her once more, Sirius straddled her hips and tugged the unwanted garment over his head, he balled it up and placed it under Ellie's head to cushion her neck. In the two seconds since he'd taken his sweater off, she'd been unable to remove her eyes from his torso. Despite not having much experience with the male anatomy, Ellie found it quite pleasing, especially the faint outline of the six-pack abs he was sporting. There was no doubt that Sirius Black was certainly easy on the eyes. Slowly, Ellie let her eyes travel from his broad shoulders to his toned chest, then to the dark lined of hair that went down...and down…

"Are you taking my trousers off with your eyes?"

Face red, she stammered, "I-I well...um," Sirius laughed and placed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. His eyes met hers and he whispered, "Help me?"

Tentatively and without words, Ellie reached up and felt for his belt. Once securing it in her hands, she pulled it loose and tossed it on the floor next to them, all the while keeping her gaze locked on Sirius's. His expression, which had been relaxed and playful, was now tense with his desire, the fire in his eyes no doubt reflected in her own. His grey eyes turned molten as she undid the button on his trousers and pulled down the zipper, pausing only for a second before reaching past the opening to gently grasp his length.

Gasping, Sirius's head fell forward onto her shoulder, "Merlin love, you're going to kill me."

Idly stroking him, Ellie turned to nibble his ear and was immediately rewarded with a heady moan. Her fun was cut short though as he abruptly sat up and stood from the couch to remove his remaining clothes. It was there in the dim candle light that Ellie got her first look at the fully unclothed Sirius Black. The man was magnificent, to say the very least. Dark hair in disarray, eyes smoldering, and physique near perfection, Ellie's only concern lay in how in the world the tree trunk jutting up near his navel was going to fit.

Her expression must have given hint to her weariness, because within seconds Sirius had rejoined her on the couch. Pulling her into an upright position, he took one of her hands in his own and placed the other on her cheek, "Are you alight?"

Ellie's eyes made a quick pass to his length once more, "Is that...um...is that going to fit?"

She partially expected him to laugh at her, but she certainly did not expect his response, "Honestly? I very much hope so. I'm told it's supposed to, but having never done this before, I can't say 'yes' with one hundred percent certainty."

"You haven't done _this_ before?"

He removed his hand from her face and looked at her sheepishly, "No, love, I can't say that I have."

"B-but you're, well, _you._"

"Just because the entire school labels you a man-whore does not necessarily make you a man-whore,"

"Uh...when the reason they call you a man-whore is because half the girls in fifth year and up claim they've slept with you...it kinda does."

Sirius was starting to look a bit disgruntled, "I haven't slept with any of those girls, Ellie. Gone quite a ways with some, yes, but not sex. I've..I've been waiting."

Brows furrowed, Ellie asked hesitantly, "Waiting for...what?"

"For you."

Whatever residual fear Ellie had been feeling suddenly evaporated. Grasping both of his hands in hers, she lay back on the couch and pulled him on top of her. Bracing himself over her, Sirius asked once more, "Are you sure?"

Ellie nodded.

Gently, he slid her bra straps from her shoulders. Slipping both hands underneath her, it took him only moments to remove the garment to the floor.

"Done that before, I suppose," she muttered with a smile.

"Hush you."

Any retort Ellie may have given was wiped from her mind as he took a nipple into his mouth, "Oh, _shit_," she moaned. The feel of his tongue and the light press of his teeth had Ellie's back arching off the couch. Before she knew it she had one hand in his hair and the other firmly grasping his buttocks, trying desperately to get him closer to her. Sirius continued his ministrations for several more minutes, stopping only to begin travelling down her body. Ellie fought to catch her breath and wondered absentmindedly what he was doing. She got her answer when the heat from his mouth covered her through her lace knickers.

Her breath left her, "S-Sirius? What are you-?" She moaned when she felt his tongue caress her warmth. Ellie fought to keep her hands from tangling in his hair, but was unable to prevent her hips from thrusting forward. Chuckling, Sirius moved away from her. At her whimper of protest, he shushed her as he hooked both thumbs in her knickers and slid them down her legs.

Fighting a wave of nerves, Ellie stilled and allowed him to gaze at her as she had him. Eyes bright with something Ellie was beginning to identify as love, Sirius placed a finger and her cheek and trailed it down her neck, to her breast where it circled a nipple before travelling to her navel, then to her hip where he lightly touched her cloud-shaped birthmark, and then down further to stroke the trimmed patch of blonde hair that covered her. Sliding even lower, Sirius's finger pressed against the one spot that Ellie herself had only touched a handful of times. It was considerably better when he did it. Within minutes she was withering against him, a voice she hardly recognized as her own screaming as her world shattered around her.

Sirius gave her several moments to gather herself. He lightly caressed her hair as Ellie fought to regain her bearing, "Oh my," she said breathlessly.

"'Oh my', indeed," he chuckled, "Okay to go on?"

Ellie hooked her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to her own. Tongues tangling, she set out to prove just how 'okay' she was. The kissed for a while longer, hurried and insistent slowly giving way to passionate and languid. After a time, Ellie became aware of Sirius's _impressive_ desire for her against her hip. Adjusting, she cradled him between her hips, the move causing his member to now lay just over her opening. Sirius moaned, an involuntary thrust of his hips signaling he was more than ready to enter her.

"Sirius," she whispered, "Please."

Tucking his face into her neck, he withdrew slightly before slowly aligning himself with her. Ellie closed her eyes and tightened her grip on his back as he gently pressed in. They both held their breath as he slid in inch by inch. Several seconds passed before the slow stretching turned painful, and a barrier neither could see prevented him from going further. Steeling herself, Ellie forced her body to relax just before Sirius thrust fully in. She cried out at the sudden, stinging pain. Sirius ceased all movement, placing kisses on her hair and all over her face to sooth her. Once the pain had subsided to a dull ache, Ellie nodded for him to continue.

Sirius started out slowly, so slowly that once the pain gave way to pleasure, Ellie feared she would go mad with want. Arms clenched around him and heels resting on the back of his thighs, she did her best to hurry his movements. Letting out a chuckle Sirius consented to her silent demand. Pace hurried, he thrust in and out of her, the sound of skin hitting skin, his harsh breaths, and her heady moans a sensuous melody that only increased their passion for one another. Sweat dripped from his brow onto her cheek as his pace picked up. Ellie threw her head back and arched against him, nails no doubt drawing blood from his back. Suddenly, the indescribable pressure that had been building in her released, a white light flooding her vision as stars exploded around her. She hardly noticed Sirius's own stilled movements as his own release overcame him. Gasping, he collapsed on his side next to her.

They two lay there silently, the only sound their deep breaths and rapid beating hearts.

Sirius was the one to speak first, "You okay, love?"

Ellie opened her eyes and turned to him. Smiling, she met his eyes, "I've never been better. That was amazing Sirius."

Looking quite proud of himself, he gathered her in his arms, "You weren't too bad yourself."

Too tired to do anything other than grin and shake her head, Ellie relaxed and drifted to sleep.

* * *

She awoke several hours later to find Sirius fully dressed and packaging up their leftover dinner. Still drowsy, she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes as she sought her own clothes.

"Here," Sirius handed her a pile of her clothes, folded neatly. Silently, Ellie dressed and tried, in vain, to straighten out her tangle of blonde hair.

A gentle hand brush her hands away, "Leave it," Sirius said, smiling, "It's a good look on you." He leaned down and kissed her lips, slow and softly, "I think it's well past two o'clock. We should probably get back to the Common Room."

"Two o'clock?" Ellie's eyes widened, "Sirius, how are we going to get passed the patrols?"

Grinning, he picked up a bag from the floor and reached inside it. Digging around for a minute, he finally pulled out the item he was looking for. James's invisibility cloak.

"I called in that wager on your behalf. Told Prongs I wanted to do something special for your birthday and we'd probably be out late."

Ellie groaned, "So now all of Gryffindor knows we had sex. Wonderful."

Sirius gathered the rest of their items and tossed them in the bag, "I didn't tell him we were having sex. I wasn't even sure myself."

"You told him we'd be out late. What really happened doesn't matter. And James's gossips worse than a second year girl."

"Does it bother you?" he was beginning to look concerned.

Ellie shook her head, "No, I'm just mentally preparing myself to have 'the talk' with Lily."

"Ah. I don't envy you that, love."

Finally dressed, she did a final check of her surroundings and headed to the door. Looking back, Ellie motioned to Sirius, "Are you coming?"

Smiling, he walked towards her, "Yeah, just one more thing," Grabbing her chin between his thumb and forefinger, Sirius drew her lips to his. Pulling back, he muttered, "Now we can go."

It took them just over a quarter of an hour to make their way back the the Gryffindor Common Room. Luckily, they'd only run in to one professor along the way, and he appeared to be sleep walking anyway. Danger averted, the arrived at the Portrait Hole, woke an irritable Fat Lady and entered the Common Room. Ellie was entirely unprepared for what awaited them there.

Lily and James were both sitting on the couch. James was hugging Lily tightly as she sobbed hysterically. Ellie rushed over to them and dropped to her knees in front of the duo, "Merlin, Lily! What's the matter?" When she didn't receive an answer, Ellie looked to James. The poor boy looked entirely worse for wear, redness rimmed his eyes and shock marred his features.

"Lily's...uh…" James cleared his throat, "Lily's parents are dead."

Ellie's hands flew to her mouth, the red-head's hiccuping sob grew even louder. Sirius tossed their belongings on the ground and helped Ellie up from the ground. After moving her to the couch on the other side of Lily, he took his usual place in the armchair. Hunched forward, he steeled his hands and pressed them to his lips, "What happened, James?"

James cleared his throat again, "McGonagall came in around midnight to get wake Lily. She and I were both still up doing...well...so you can imagine our surprise when the Head of House walks in. Bit awkward. Anyway, she asks Lily to come to the Headmaster's office, says there been some sort of accident. Lily didn't want to go alone so I went along," he ran a hand down Lily's hair and rocked her for a moment when her sobs grew loud again. Once they quieted he continued, "We get there and Dumbledore asks us to sit. Tell's Lily it's a delicate matter and makes sure she wants me there. Then he gets right to it. Her parents are dead. Apparently a lot of the Muggle parents with Muggleborn students attending Hogwarts see one another on a fairly regular basis. They get together to swap information; helps to have another family like theirs to relate to. Voldemort," the name was spat out with a vehemence Ellie had never before heard from James, "found out about this. Waited until the majority of them were gathered together to send Death Eaters in. No one made it."

While he spoke, Ellie brushed away the steady stream of tears that flowed from her eyes. When James was finished, Sirius stood and began to angrily pace in front of the fire. They were all quiet for a moment, Lily's sniffles and the crackle of the fire the only noise.

"What now?" Ellie asked.

Lily pulled away from James and turned to her, "I'm l-leaving tomorrow morning to go home. Petunia and her h-husband Vernon are letting me stay with them for a bit," her voice wavered, "The f-funer-ral will be on Saturday," crying once again, Lily sought the comfort of James's arms.

"Fuck!"

They all started at Sirius's outburst. Signing, he turned to face them, "Sorry. I just...I just feel so helpless. Things keep getting worse and it feels like there's nothing we can do to stop it." No one argued with him. Sirius sat back down in the armchair, Ellie left the couch to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arm around her, and Ellie could feel the slight tremor that wracked his body. Sirius was angry, and there was no doubt in her mind James was feeling the same way. This war had just hit them all personally. And, right now, there wasn't a damn thing any of them could do about it.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: This was obnoxious;y difficult to write for whatever reason. So sorry to the wait. Let me know what you think though, and _please review_!

**Disclaimer: Ellie is mine. Everyone else belongs to JK Rowling.**

June 1978

In total, eleven students had lost either one or both of their parents that May evening. Classes were cancelled the week following to allow these students to return home and to give their friends the opportunity to journey with them. Ellie, Sirius, James, Remus and Peter all left the morning after Lily departed to attend her parents funeral. Though Ellie had no desire whatsoever to see Petunia again, she would face dementors-Voldemort even-for Lily, so she reasoned that strength could be mustered to deal with her horrible sister.

The funeral was an intimate gathering of the Evans' close friends; both Mr. and Mrs. Evans having had no other living relations besides their daughters. At the gathering afterwards, Petunia spent the majority of her time bouncing from person to person, lamenting the loss of her parents and declaring her thankfulness that her husband provided such strong support of her. The husband in question, Vernon Dursley, maintained his vigilance in a chair next to the door of the kitchen, so that he might have first grab at the foods exiting it. Lily, having planned the entire affair, was chased from the kitchen by Ellie and Remus, who then proceed to either char or undercook everything they touched. They were saved, miraculously, by Peter who had spent considerable time with his mother in the kitchen as a child. Ellie escaped to find Sirius as soon as she was able. He and James were in the sitting room entertaining guests and warding off questions about Lily's whereabouts. Though it earned her a heated glare from Petunia, Ellie interrupted James's conversation with Mr. Such-and-Such of Someplace Important to send him after the girl. Ellie loved Lily like her own sister, but whether she'd admit it or not (and she wouldn't), Lily needed a sort of comfort only James could provide.

Hours later, the guests had finally left and Petunia was on her way with Vernon back to their own house on 4 Privet Drive. Shutting the door behind them, Ellie ducked into the kitchen to check on Remus and Peter who were in the process of scrubbing and drying plates. They assured her everything was handled and sent her on her way. She found Sirius standing in front of the window overlooking the backyard. The sun had set hours ago, and so the only light shining through was from the lanterns that set beside a bench a short distance from the door. Ellie moved to stand next to Sirius, taking his hand in hers, she following his gaze outside. James and Lily, backs facing them, sat on that faintly illuminated bench. Lily's head was resting against James's shoulder, and his hand was gently caressing her auburn hair.

"Will she be okay?" Sirius broke the silence.

Ellie thought a moment before answering, "She was very close to them, and now all she has is Petunia. It'll be an adjustment."

Sirius's eyes remained fixed on the couple outside, "I never had much of a family. The moment I was sorted into Gryffindor all those years ago, I was essentially disowned. Mother and Father's dislike turned to hated, and Reg wouldn't even speak two words to me," He turned away from the window to look at Ellie, "And then James came along. And Remus. And Peter. They became my brothers. Lily wormed her way in at some point. How I'm not really sure. She's terrifying nearly one hundred percent of the time and quite frankly insufferable at best...but I suppose that's what having a sister is like," Sirius lifted a hand to brush a loose hair from Ellie's face, "And then you. The greatest joy in my life who I can never imagine being deserving of," His hand fell, "There's the family you were born to, Ellie, and then there's the family you gather along the way. Lily didn't lose her family; she has all of us. Just as you have us as well."

Overcome, Ellie wrapped her arms around Sirius. He held her tightly, whispering in her ear, "As long as I live, I will never let anything happen to you. You have my word."

* * *

Quicker than she'd have liked, June arrived and Ellie found herself preparing to sit her first NEWT: Transfiguration. James sat to her left, but the others had been scattered around the room due to a random seating arrangement. Not that she could cheat off them anyway. The anti-cheating charms hadn't been bested in over a hundred years. That didn't stop Ellie from wistfully imagining she could just glance over at James's answers and pass the whole thing. She'd have to do it all on her own though. Like it or not. And she certainly did _not_. Luckily, Ellie wasn't the only student with a mild case of anxiety. She knew for a fact Peter was just as nervous and she was, both having stayed up until dawn with Remus with the hope that a late night study session would improve their scores. It was unlikely. Ellie just hoped she'd score the Exceeds Expectations she needed to become an auror. Her whole future depended on these blasted NEWTS. Ellie's stomach turned as their exams levitated to them. Desperately, she wracked her brain for all the information she'd crammed in it over the past few weeks. Terrifyingly, she found herself drawing a blank. Ellie looked down in horror as the parchment settled itself in front of her.

_Bloody hell._

* * *

Several days later, Ellie turned in her final NEWT and exited the Great Hall. After months and months of stress and endless nights of tossing and turning, she was finally finished. The feeling of relief was almost physical; like a large, overbearing weight lifter off her chest. Lily and the others had all finished before her. Ellie made her way down to the edge of the Great Lake, where they all agreed to meet up. Her friends we're gathered together near the water.

"Ellie!" Lily called when she saw her approaching, "How'd it go?"

Wincing, Ellie looked bashfully to Remus, who had spend countless nights helping her prepare for the Defense NEWT, "Not _terrible_. It was okay. Sort of."

"I'm sure you did brilliantly," Lily smiled. It was forced, though. All of Lily's smiles lately were forced. Which was entirely understandable given everything that had happened to her. Nonetheless, Ellie hoped desperately, and rather selfishly, that one day her friend would be happy again.

Sirius came to Ellie's side and put an arm around her shoulder, "I'm with Lily," he placed a quick kiss on her temple, "You did fine."

"Yes, well, we'll know soon enough." The seventh years would receive their marks within two weeks of leaving Hogwarts. After that it was on to job searching and, well, life after school.

The friends quieted as everyone's thoughts seemed to head in the same direction. In just a couple of days, they would be leaving Hogwarts. It was over. No more classes and homework. No more studying and waking up before the sun. No more meals in the Great Hall and conversations in the Common Room. No more begging Lily and Remus to do her homework. No more joking with James and teasing Peter. No more late nights in the Room of Requirements with Sirius. No more Hogwarts. They had all been of-age for nearly a year now, but it hadn't hit Ellie until this very moment that they were indeed adults. They would all begin their careers, maybe start families. Or maybe not, considering the threat of Voldemort was ever-growing. Ellie was not oblivious to the fact that they would no longer be under Dumbledore's protection. Under Hogwarts's protection.

"Lily? Are you alight?" James's voice drew Ellie's attention. Lily's green eyes had filled with tears.

Ellie frowned and went to her friend, "What is it, Lils?"

"Nothing," Lily shook her head, "It's stupid."

"You're about to cry, Lily. Clearly it's not stupid."

Lily shook her head and stared at the ground. Sighing, she looked back up and addressed them, "Is this it? Are we going to leave Hogwarts and never see each other again? I couldn't bear it, Ellie. With everything's that's happened I couldn't bear to loose all of you too."

"I don't know where the bloody hell you think I'm going, but don't think you'll get rid of me that easily," Ellie could count on one hand the number of times she seen James angry, and though he wasn't angry now, he definitely wasn't pleased, "Did you think we'd all just up and abandon one another? That I'd leave you?"

Lily looked to the ground, "Well, no..."

"I have to say, that's the dumbest you've been in the seven years I've known you," Ellie said, flatly.

Lily's mouth dropped open, "Ellie!"

"Well it's true. 'Is this it?' Bloody hell, woman. Are you mental?"

"Alight, fine," Lily was beginning to get annoyed, "Point taken. I'll never be rid of you lot."

"You're damn right," Ellie stood between James and Lily and threw an arm around each of their shoulders, "Oi, Remus. Planning on tucking tail and ditching us any time soon?"

"The thought had crossed my mind. I suppose I could be persuaded to stick around though."

"Wonderful. Peter?"

"I don't really have any other friends..."

"Er, okay. Splendid. Sirius?"

"Are you kidding? James and I are practically attached at the hip. Heh. And you and i are attached at the-,"

"Okay!" Ellie interjected. She turned to Lily, "See, Lils? We're not going anywhere."

A light smile spread across the red-heads face. She reached up and grabbed Ellie's hand in hers, "Not the end then, is it?"

Ellie grinned, "It's just the beginning."


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: And so the story continues! The chapter is rated M. Please review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

**August 1978**

Life after Hogwarts was nothing like Ellie expected it to be. She'd imagined herself sleeping in until noon, wandering around in her t-shirt and knickers, maybe bathing if she felt like it, and hitting the pubs with her friends every night. Instead, the 'real world' had reared back and sucker punched her in the face. Not only had she been officially kicked out of her parents' house, but she'd also scored an Acceptable on her Transfiguration NEWT—too low to become an Auror. The first two weeks after graduation were just terrible enough to make her want to crawl under the proverbial rock and never come out. Luckily, her friends would have none of her melodramatics and made it their mission to get her back on track.

Remus had his own issues to deal with, so he wasn't able to help much, despite his desire to. Adult life and hit him nearly as hard as it had Ellie. As it turns out no 'respectable' establishment would employ a werewolf, so Remus was forced to work odd jobs here and there. He rented a flat just near Knockturn Alley, and tended the bar most nights at a pub nearby. Despite the man getting four Outstandings and two Exceeds Expections in his NEWTs, he was still treated like a lower class wizard. The whole business made Ellie sick to her stomach.

Peter was doing relatively well, as far as she knew. He'd spent a few weeks with his parents after graduation and none of them had contact with him for a while. A couple of weeks ago he'd owled James that he was staying in Diagon Alley and wanted to meet everyone for drinks one evening. They'd all been thrilled to see him again. He'd managed to land a job at the Owl Post that seemed to satisfy him well enough. He dropped off the radar again after that night. They'd each get a letter from him occasionally, but Ellie hadn't seen Peter since.

Lily and James had moved in with one another early in July. His parents gifted him his entire inheritance upon his graduation, which he used to buy a flat. Once settled, he promptly let Lily know that he'd simply _die_ if she didn't move in with him. She'd griped and drug her heels, but Ellie was not oblivious to the happy glint in her friend's eyes when she'd shared the news with her. It was clear to all that James and Lily were meant to be together. The love her friends had for each other was a refreshing ray of light in a world that had turned so terribly dark. It seemed like every other day people where either being killed or disappearing—and if they did disappear it was shortly after that they were found dead. Ellie knew that if Sirius had it his way she'd never leave their flat.

Moving in with Sirius had seemed like the logical solution to her homeless situation. He'd used the money his Uncle Alphard had left him to purchase a flat near Diagon Alley. When Ellie had arrived on his doorstep less than 24-hours after leaving Hogwarts sobbing and entirely inconsolable, he'd grabbed her bags and pulled her inside. She'd continued to cry as he put her belongings in various drawers in his bedroom and told her he wouldn't take no for an answer. It had been an adjustment in the beginning, to be sure. Ellie spent the first eleven years of her life sharing a room with her twin sister, the next seven in a dormitory with three other girls, and was now in a one bedroom flat with a grown man. They had many an argument over improperly discarded clothing, molded dishes, beard trimmings, toilet seats, and the 'twelve-hundred entirely useless hair products all over the bathroom'. Despite the occasional bump in the road, the couple was closer than ever. Ellie was quite content with life…except for the small fact that it was her life's ambition to be an Auror and she'd missed the mark _drastically_.

James and Sirius both gotten the marks needed to begin Auror training. They were up dawn till dusk at the ministry doing Merlin only knew what, and Ellie was loathe to admit she was terribly jealous. Well, maybe not entirely loathe to admit it. Lily hardly managed to get through an hour of Ellie's complaining about the whole affair before, in no uncertain terms, telling Ellie to "get over it" and "quit bitching". Sirius sat down with her the very next night to help her get a new plan together. Ellie knew she still wanted to work in the Ministry, and after hours of deliberating finally decided to try for a position in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Politics wasn't exactly where Ellie pictured her career going, nonetheless, if she couldn't fight Voldemort with a wand she'd settle for working behind the scenes. Ellie assumed the position of Junior Assistant to the Department Head in early July. As far as jobs went it was perfectly adequate. Reasonable pay. Decent hours. There was only one small drawback.

Ariella.

Unbeknownst to Ellie, Ari also aspired for a career at the Ministry of Magic. Truth be told, she fully expected her sister to get a job with an apothecary somewhere, marry a pureblood and get to work on the next generation of bigoted bastards. Never did she think Ari would want to have a career at the Ministry. Needless to say, the first time she ran into Ari walking out of her office she was thoroughly surprised. Not only because the Ministry was the last place she'd expected to see her twin, but because Ari was exiting the office of Barty Crouch's Senior Undersecretary. Ellie wasn't entirely sure of the exact details of the Ministry's hierarchy, but she knew damn well one didn't graduate from Hogwarts one day and work directly under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's Head a mere month later.

Luckily, Ari seemed to go through just as much trouble to avoid Ellie as Ellie did to avoid Ari. She arrived at the Ministry thirty minutes before her sister each morning and left thirty minutes earlier each evening. In the event the two ran into one another in the halls, they each pursed their lips in the same manner, glared with the same ice blue eyes, and turned back to wherever it was they'd just come from. Such avoidance was exhausting.

After a long day spent copying documents, running from office to office, and dodging her sister at every turn, Ellie loved nothing more than to go home and submerge herself in a piping hot bath. Her bath time was her relaxation time, her unwind time, her lock Sirius in the room with her and vent for an hour time. She loved it; he did not.

"So I told Marty she was being ridiculous. 'You're being ridiculous' I said. Next thing I know Rupert's called me in his office to tell me to be more 'sensitive'. Screw sensitive! I was being _sensible_! I mean honestly, the woman's two hairs shy of a Wally Bat; I'd have left her too! But noooo, 'You can't say that, Ellie'. So I leave, right, and of _course_ the first person I happen to run into is Ariella. My dear, wonderful sister who shoots me a look like I've just crawled out from under her boot. The nerve of her, I swear! If she weren't my own flesh and blood I'd—,"

"Merlin Ellie, just hex me and get it over with," Sirius bemoaned from his position on the counter. At the beginning of her nightly her rant he'd hopped up on the counter and rested his head against the mirror. Mid-way through he began banging said head against said mirror. A bit melodramatic really.

"I'm just telling you how my day was," she slouched further under the water, "You're the one who asked."

"And why I torture myself every night by doing so I have no idea."

"Ass," she mumbled.

Sirius chuckled and jumped off the counter. Walking over to her, he then sat on the edge of the tub on began running a finger through the bubbles, "You love me," he said, smirking.

Ellie leaned her head back and closed her eyes, "I suppose. You have your uses," she opened an eye and cast a wistful look in his direction before shutting it again.

"Oh? What might those 'uses' be, love?"

"Well, you have this wonderful ability to—ah!" Ellie lurched forward, sloshing water out of the tub and onto the floor. Sirius maintained his position on the edge of the bath, checking his nails and looking suspiciously like the cat that caught the canary.

Ellie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, "What the bloody hell was that for?"

He cocked a brow in her direction, "What? This?" Before she had time to react, he leaned forward and swatted her arms out of the way, leaving her breast once again vulnerable to his hands. Sirius reached down and took a nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

"Sirius!" Ellie stilled with the hope that he would soon let go. Instead, he gave the nipple a slight tug, causing Ellie's face to flush and her stomach to flutter pleasantly.

Noting her reaction, Sirius leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I'm going to start counting. When I reach 'ten' you need to be in the bed."

"I—but—," she stammered.

"One…,"

"Sirius!"

"Two…,"

Ellie scrambled out of the bath. She hastily ran a towel through her hair and dried off as best she could.

"Seven…," Sirius continued.

Glaring at him, Ellie walked naked to the bed and got underneath the sheets. Admittedly, games such as these were one of the many reasons she loved Sirius, and she greatly anticipated whatever may happen when he joined her in the bedroom.

"And ten. There now, that wasn't so difficult was it?" The sheets were suddenly yanked away from her. Ellie gasped as large, warm hands settled on her stomach and then moved to cup her breasts. His soft caress teased the now aching points, drawing a lengthy moan from her lips. As if he'd read her mind, Sirius replaced his hands with him mouth, tongue swirling around her nipple.

Intent on doing a bit of touching herself, Ellie reached down to start the process of removing his trousers, but was pleasantly surprised to find Sirius completely bare. Without hesitation, she began rubbing her hands up and down his length. Sirius let out a ragged breath, mouth stilling, he rested his forehead against Ellie's. Her hand continued its movement, slow to start and then more urgently. As she touch him, Sirius's lips met hers in a heated kiss, tongue sweeping her mouth and stealing her breath. They continued this way for several minutes before Sirius reached down and removed Ellie's hand from him. Kissing it, he then placed her hand by her side. Holding Ellie's gaze, he settled between her thighs and slowly eased himself into her. Gasping, she arched her back as her hands abandoned her sides, settling instead on Sirius's back.

"Sirius, please," she whimpered as he stilled inside of her.

"I've got you, love," he whispered. Holding himself above her, Sirius gently kissed her breast before thrusting forward, sheathing himself to the hilt. The pleasant stretch caused Ellie to cry out, a cry that was echoed by a moaned from Sirius when she wrapped her legs around him, heels to the back of this thighs.

Sirius's pace was slow, gentle. He rained kisses anywhere his mouth could reach. Lips, neck, breast, Ellie could do nothing but focus on breathing, hips rocking forward to meet his. Her body tensed deliciously before her orgasm hit, stealing her breath and sweeping her mind of all coherent thought. Sirius raised himself on his knees, drawing her to him, he plunged forward, once slow, methodical movements becoming wild and hurried. As quickly as it had left her, Ellie's orgasm returned, with Sirius's following shortly after. Her name a small cry on his lips, Sirius fell on his elbows above her, shaking with the effort to hold himself up. Ellie wrapped her arms around his waist and rolled them over. Now on his back, Sirius's body was able to fully relax, his breathing slowed and he was asleep in minutes. Moving carefully, Ellie reached down and pulled the sheets over them both. Nestling into his side, she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to overtake her.


	25. Chapter 25

October 1978

The news came early in the morning, four-thirty based off the bedside clock's reading. Ellie and Sirius were woken by the sound of pounding on their front door. Hastily, they dressed, sharing worried looks with one another while doing so. The pounding continued as they approached the door. Sirius placed a hand on the knob and yanked it open, revealing a weary and downcast Remus. He looked as though he'd thrown on the nearest articles of clothing and ran out the door. Ellie motioned for him to come inside. Quietly, she took his coat before leading him to the couch. Remus sat down, Ellie in the armchair opposite him and Sirius pacing in front of the unlit fireplace.

Sirius was the first to speak, "Who is it?" he asked.

"James's parents", Ellie gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, "They were out visiting friends last night and didn't leave until well after dark. A couple of Death Eaters cornered them in an alley a few blocks from their house. They didn't stand a chance." Remus quit speaking, a dreadful silence hung around them.

"They're dead then?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded, "Dorthea was dead instantly. Charles died at St. Mungos. James and Lily went up to the hospital, but asked that we meet up at their place around lunch."

"How do you know all of this?" Ellie inquired.

Remus shot her a sheepish glance, "I—ah, I was there when the Aurors arrived with the news."

"At four in the morning?" Sirius asked, eyebrow raised.

"I've been staying there the past few nights. I was kicked out of my flat and it's been bloody terrible trying to find another one."

"Threw a huge party?"

"Got bit by a werewolf."

Sirius winced, "Right. Sorry, Moony. Seems my brain isn't working too well this morning."

Remus shrugged, unconcerned. Silence once again engulfed the trio. After several long, uncomfortable minutes Ellie stood, heading into the kitchen for tea. Adding a splash of milk to Sirius and Remus's, sugar and honey to hers, she rejoined them in the sitting room. After giving each man their mug she settled back into the armchair. Over the next few hours they nursed their tea and carried on small conversation until sunlight began streaming in through the windows. Ellie and Sirius went back upstairs to get properly dressed and minutes later they were off to James and Lily's.

* * *

Remus, Sirius, and Ellie were let in by Lily at precisely eleven-thirty. Eyes red-rimmed, she looked just has she had a few months ago after her own parent's deaths. Without words, Ellie enveloped her friend in a tight hug as the men bypassed them and went in search of James. After holding Lily a moment longer, Ellie released her and pulled away. Lily wiped hastily at the tears falling from her eyes. Gathering herself, she attempted to give Ellie an encouraging smile.

Ellie grimaced, "Please don't," she said, "You aren't fooling me."

Lily let out a humorless chuckle, "Its James I'm trying to fool. I doubt its working though."

They crossed the threshold into the flat, Lily shutting the door behind them. She led them into the kitchen where Ellie took a seat at the table. Lily leaned up against the counter to her left.

"How is he?" Ellie asked.

Lily shook her head, "He's taking it very badly. Understandably, of course. He had such a wonderful relationship with them both. The Aurors came around three-fifty. Scared the bloody hell out of all of us." Tears filled her eyes, "Everything that's happened with Voldemort, the Death Eaters, has felt so far away, you know? For years it's all just been whispers, your neighbor's friend's sister went missing, or something. But now…in less than a year we've each lost our parents," Lily shook her head, "Instead of thinking 'this will never happen to me' I'm thinking 'when will it happen again'. And James, I don't even know how to help him, Els. Initially it was grief which I was okay with. He cried at the St. Mungos when he saw the bodies, I did too. But when we got back home he stared throwing things, broke three damn lamps. I have no clue how to deal with all of that anger."

Ellie sat silently, listening to her friend speak. Her heart went out to her, Lily and James both had known more loss in this past year than most people saw in a lifetime. James's outburst, though, was nothing new to her. Sirius had been acting similarly for a while now. He'd read something in the Daily Prophet or hear something over the radio and get in such a state Ellie would have to leave the flat for an hour or so. He never acted violently towards her, he just made it miserable to be in the same space as him for a while, "I think it's just their reaction to not having control. They feel useless. It's like you said, Lils, we were all so cut off from this war and now it's shown up on our doorsteps. None of us are prepared. Hell, I feel just as pissed as Sirius half the time."

"Oh, believe me I'm angry too. I just wish I knew how to help James," Lily said, "I—," A knock on the front door cut her off.

James's voice called from the sitting room, "If that's more Aurors tell them to SOD OFF!"

Lily rolled her eyes and left to answer the door while Ellie escaped to the sitting room to join the others. James was sitting on the couch with Sirius and Remus on either side of him. He sat with his elbows on his knees, face in his palms. The others were sharing worried looks with one another over his shoulders.

"James?" Ellie said hesitantly.

He tilted his head up to her and Ellie's heart stopped. Brow furrowed, deep lines marred his face making him looks decades older than his eighteen years. The area around his eyes was red and puffy, his eyes themselves bloodshot and dull. James looked in her direction, but she doubted her even really registered she or the others were there.

"Oh, James," she whispered.

A throat cleared from the doorway. Ellie turned and was startled to find Albus Dumbledore standing in front of her. Two other wizards were with him, both gentlemen several years older than themselves one stout with thinning blonde hair and the other as lean as a reed with a mop of salt and pepper curls. Lily also entered with them but stood a ways back from the group. Remus and Sirius rose quickly from the couch to greet their old Headmaster. Once they finished Ellie offered her own greeting as James continued to sit listlessly on the couch. Lily abandoned her position near the wall, offering Dumbledore and his companions a seat.

"Have a seat here, Headmaster," she gestured to an empty armchair, "And, um, well...," the only other place for his companions to sit was beside James.

"Allow me to introduce Edgar Bones and Caradoc Dearborn. No need to trouble yourself, Miss Evans. We'll only be a moment."

Dumbledore sat down in the proffered chair and reclined, steepling his fingers, he addressed James, "I am deeply sorry to hear of your parents passing, Mr. Potter. Charles and Dorthea were two of the greatest wizards of our time; their loss will be felt for many years."

James continued to stare at the carpet.

Undaunted, the Headmaster continued, "That being said, I've come to ask a great favor of you—of all of you."

With these words James finally looked up from the floor. Ellie, Sirius, Remus, and Lily also gave Dumbledore their undivided attention.

"Several years ago I saw Voldemort for what he was: a tyrannical genius capable of great manipulation. He had been this way since adolescence, but over the years he became more sinister. News of a 'Dark Lord' spread, muggles disappeared, were murdered. Then Muggleborns were killed, muggle sympathizers taken, and yet the Ministry did nothing. Voldemort went unchecked. I suspect the Ministry was infiltrated some years ago. So I decided to form an Order. An Order for those who would do what to Ministry wouldn't: fight Voldemort. Protect muggles and wizards alike. I've come today to ask you to join this Order."

Ellie, who stood by the window next to Remus, stole a glance at Sirius. His expression was that of a child's on Christmas morning, "We'll be able to fight?" he asked.

Face devoid of its usual mirth, Dumbledore responded, "You will be in combat, yes. You will also be assigned to missions on occasion. You're main goal is to get others to join our cause. As it stands, we are vastly outnumbered."

"When do we start?" James's asked, his voice haggard.

Edgar Bones answered, "This is something we want you to think about. The Order of the Phoenix is not some dueling club for teenagers. Death is a real possibility. You should discuss it with your loved ones, be sure this is something you can commit to."

The seriousness in the wizard's tone seemed to dampen James and Sirius's enthusiasm. Remus turned his attention to the window and Lily kept looking apprehensively at James.

Dumbledore stood from his chair. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a piece of folded parchment and handed it to James, "If you decide to join us, be at this address on this date. We will have more information for you then."

With that said he nodded to the others and left the room, his companions trailing behind.

The sound of the front door closing seemed reverberate in the room. Remus continued to stare out the window as Lily dropped down on the couch next to James, who was staring at the parchment as if it was a gift sent from the heavens. Sirius claimed Dumbledore's abandoned chair and gestured for Ellie to come sit with him. She sat down on his lap, tucking her head under his chin as he pulled her closer. The Headmaster's offer weighed heavily on them all. Bones was right though. As badly as they all wanted to jump in wands raised and ready to fight, this was a serious proposition to consider. James and Sirius still had months to go before they were fully trained as Aurors. Becoming members of the Order would require them to draw on skills they were still developing. Lily and Ellie had even less business fighting a war. Neither they nor Remus were even Aurors, they would be relying entirely on the theoretical knowledge they'd been taught at Hogwarts. And yet, despite that, each knew already what their answer would be, because at the root of it all, they were angry, and Dumbledore had just offered them revenge on a silver platter.


	26. Chapter 26

**December 1978**

"I have to say, Ellie, I didn't think you had it in you."

"It was an accident, James. You know I'd never kill you intentionally."

"I'm beginning to suspect that's not the entire truth."

Ellie observed James warily, "I don't know how it happened. I swear James. One minute it was perfectly normal. The next…"

"It was poison," he finished for her, "And you waited until the moment I'd least expect it to spring it on me. At the very end when I was finally feeling content and satisfied. Then you place this monstrosity in front of me…"

James and Ellie eyed the pecan pie that sat before them.

Sirius, tears streaming down his face from laughing, wiped his eyes with his dinner napkin, "Prongs, why do you think I eat over here so often?"

Shooting one last disgusted look at the pie, James turned to Sirius, "I'd thought it was because we're mates. Now I see it's due to the fact that you'd not get fed otherwise."

Ellie rolled her eyes, "Merlin, you two! My cooking is _not_ that bad. Is it Remus?"

Remus, it seemed, was caught off guard, "I—I, well, it's not terrible, really…" he stammered.

Triumphantly, she shot James and Sirius a glare, "There! You see—"

"It's just not altogether edible either," Remus finished.

Ellie's hands covered her face as she groaned, "Peter? A little help here?" She mumbled.

The sandy-haired man immediately turned red, "Ah, yes," he cleared his throat, "I'll put it this way then, shall I? You are to cooking what I am to…Potions."

Sirius, James, and Remus burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"All of you can piss off," Ellie said as she threw her napkin on the table next to her empty plate, "I'm going to go check on Lily. She's been in the loo for a while."

James scoffed, "Yeah because your 'pie' put her there!"

If looks could kill, the glare Ellie shot the man would have melted him into a puddle on the floor. She stood from the table and made her way over to the bathroom Lily had escaped to; the four friends chortling as she left.

It was Christmas Eve and somehow or another they'd all managed to get together to celebrate. After joining the Order in October, personal time was essentially nonexistent. Between Ellie's job at the ministry, and her missions for the Order, she hardly even saw Sirius except for a few stolen moments at dawn when they each woke to prepare for the day. Ellie, who left shortly after Sirius, would walk with him to the door where he would gently cup her face and kiss her lips. Withdrawing slowly, he would rest his forehead against hers and look into her eyes before kissing her once more and then leaving. Each knew that should the worst happen, if a mission went awry or if the ministry was attacked, it would be moments like these that they would cherish for eternity.

And so, as they entered December and Christmas approached, the six friends vowed to take a moment and celebrate not only the holiday, but their friendship as well.

"Lily?" Ellie called as she knocked on the bathroom door, "Are you alright?"

There was no answer, but the door opened just enough for Ellie to slip through. Quickly shutting it behind her, she then turned to her friend. Lily was on her knees in front of the toilet, hair held up with one hand and the other braced against the bowl.

Ellie winced, kneeling beside her, she gathered Lily's auburn into her own hands, "I am so sorry, Lily. I swear on Merlin's grave I will never cook pecan pie again."

Face pale and eyes closed, Lily let out a short laugh, "You forget, I've had your beef stew as well. It may be best if you just never enter a kitchen again, Els."

"You said you liked the stew!"

"Oh it tasted well enough. I just spent the next 24-hours running to the bathroom every five minutes."

* * *

Nearly twenty minutes later, Lily and Ellie rejoined the others in the sitting room. As soon as they entered the room, Ellie could tell something was amiss. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all standing stiff as boards, faces obviously forcefully attempting to appear nonchalant. James, on the other hand, was pacing in front of the couch, fingers running through his hair and beads of sweat dripping from his temple.

"Lily!" he exclaimed when he saw she'd entered the room, "Feeling better?"

She looked at James apprehensively, arms crossed, "Slightly. No thanks to Ellie of course. What's going on?"

He took Lily's hand and led her to the couch, "Why don't you sit here, Lily-pad. Take a load off. Want a pillow? Here, take a pillow. Are you feeling better?"

"James!" Lily exclaimed, sitting uncomfortably with a pillow shoved behind her back, "What in Merlin's name is going on?"

Ellie saw Sirius nod encouragingly to James, who then cleared his throat. Sitting beside Lily, he took her hands in his.

"Seven years ago," he began, "I met a girl. She was a spirited girl with bright red hair and the prettiest green eyes I'd ever seen. Seven years ago I saw this girl and fell in love. She didn't love me though, at least not at first," James smiled at Lily's chuckle, "As she grew from the spirited girl into a gorgeously independent and beautiful woman I asked her out again and again. Until, finally, her 'no' turned into 'yes'," James moved from the couch. Now on one knees in front of Lily, he removed a small black box from is pocket. Lily's hands immediately went to her mouth as she let out a gasp.

"Lily, I'm going to ask you for one more 'yes'. One more 'yes' and you'll make me the happiest man in the world," he opened the box to reveal a sparkling solitaire engagement ring, "Lily Evans, will you marry me?"

With tears in her eyes and a huge grin on her face, Lily whispered, "Yes," James hardly had time to slip the ring on her finger before she launched herself into his arms.

Ellie, who had remained on the doorway while James proposed looked on while the couple embraced. She met Lily's eyes over James's shoulder. The friends shared a tearful grin before Ellie's eyes drifted over to Sirius. His grey eyes met hers; the smoldering heat from his gaze both terrifying and thrilling her.

* * *

After everyone had managed to collect themselves, they settled into their seats with freshly poured champagne. Sirius and Ellie in their usual position in the armchair, James and Lily together on the couch, Peter next to them and Remus in a chair they'd drug in from the dining room.

"I swear Ellie, he'd only told us minutes before you returned from the loo," Sirius told Ellie when she asked how long he'd known James was planning on proposing.

"Humph," she pouted, "Why didn't you tell anyone, James?"

James, cheek resting against Lily's head, looked at her incredulously, "Are you kidding? You know as well as I do there's no secret keeping in this group. If I told Padfoot he'd have told you and you'd have told Lily."

"I most certainly would not!"

He cocked an eyebrow.

Miffed, Ellie crossed her arms and leaned back against Sirius, "Fine. It _may_ have slipped or something."

"I'm glad it was a surprise to everyone," Lily said, "And I'm glad all of you were here. It was wonderful." She tilted her head up to rush James's lips with her own.

"If the two of you are going to do that all night we'll go ahead and show ourselves to the door," Remus said jokingly.

James and Lily separated, each blushing. Lily looked sheepishly at Remus, "I really am glad you're here Remus. I feel like we haven't seen you in ages."

Since joining the Order of the Phoenix they each had their own missions assigned to them by Dumbledore. James and Sirius were paired together for patrols fairly often. Lily was placed in charge of educating both potential members and new members on the Orders' goals. Ellie, with her position in the Ministry, was responsible for recruiting these new members as well as 'eavesdropping' on as many conversations as possible. Remus's missions, however, were kept completely confidential. He'd disappear for days at a time; returning only briefly to debrief Dumbledore before leaving again. He seemed to have aged twenty years in the past two months.

Remus looked down at this feet, "Sorry Lily," he said, "You know how things are."

"I'm just glad we're all here and safe for another Christmas," Ellie said.

Raising his champagne flute, James addressed them all, "I'll drink to that. Here's to happy times, wonderful friends, and—hopefully—the end of this bloody war!"

"Cheers!"


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: As usual, I have final exams next week so I'm working on this story! My priorities are a bit off. This chapter is a longer one; I'm hoping to make up for the last chapter which was pretty short. I'd like to say thank you to all of the new followers! I greatly appreciate you taking an interest in Ellie's story. Please, please, please feel free to review!

Also, this chapter wasn't supposed to be **M**, but it became **M**. Fair warning to those of you who wish to skip it. You won't miss anything too important.

**February 1979**

Ellie's generation had grown up with the threat of Voldemort a looming shadow on a faraway horizon. Now on the threshold of adulthood, that threat was a stark reality, one that they were at fighting on a daily basis. Everyone lived in constant fear that someone they knew would disappear; that they themselves would disappear; for in these times, a disappearances meant death just as surely as the Dark Mark hovering over your house. Nothing was for certain, least of all time, and certainly not time with your loved ones. For this reason, Ellie found herself helping Lily into her wedding dress just two months after James proposed.

The whole wedding would be a rather quiet affair. The party was small and the guest list minimal. Lily and Ellie's old dorm mate Mary MacDonald had offered her parents' backyard to host the event. A gold cloth runway ran between two rows of a dozen or so chairs and up to a rose covered white arch. Despite the chill, the sun provided just enough warmth so that the guests would be comfortable.

"For Merlin's sake Lily, suck in!"

"If you tell me to 'suck in' on more time, Els, I'm going to murder you!" Lily huffed, arms braced against the wardrobe as Ellie attempted to get the gown zipped.

Despite James's insistence that money was no object, Lily chose a simple wedding dress. Simple, though certainly beautiful. The dress was loose fitting, and cinched in at the waist. It was pure white with long sheer sleeves and a modest v-cut neckline. Lily wore no jewelry besides her engagement ring and a pair of pearl earrings Ellie had gifted her. Her auburn hair flowed in loose waves around her face—Lily claimed James preferred it down and with minimal taming, though Ellie suspected her friend was just trying to avoid the hassle of fussing with it.

"Alight, on the count of three, you're going to take a deep breath. One…two…three!"

Lily breathed deeply, and Ellie quickly yanked the zipped upwards, "Oh, thank Merlin," she stood back and looked at herself in the wardrobe's mirror. Ellie came from behind her, wrapping her arms around her friend's waist, she rested her chin on Lily's shoulder.

"You look beautiful, Lils," she said with a smile.

Lily met Ellie's eyes in the mirror and grinned, "You look wonderful too, Els. Aren't you glad I talked you into that dress?"

After shopping around for three weeks, Ellie had nearly given up on finding the perfect gown. Perfectly content to throw in the towel, she'd been completely surprised when Lily appeared on her doorstep with the rose red dress. It was similar to Lily's, in that it had a loose flowing skirt cinched in at the waist. It was also very simple; there were no stones or lace anywhere. The neckline was higher than Lily's—Ellie was a tad more endowed—coming up to her collar before meeting long sleeves.

Ellie had tried it on and fallen in love only to demand Lily return it when she found out the price. As it so happened, the money James had given Lily for her dress was not to return to his pocket, so Lily had taken it upon herself to buy Ellie's dress as well. After much bickering, she conceded to accept it as gift.

Unlike Lily, Ellie's hair was done up in a loose bun. A pair of ruby earrings adorned her ears to match her ruby and gold paw necklace. Admittedly, she looked as though she'd hopped right off the page of a Gryffindors' formal wear magazine.

"Oh surprise, surprise, Lily Evans won an argument," Ellie rolled her eyes.

Laughing, Lily turned and took her friend's hands in her own, "Thank you for being here with me, Els. There's no one else in the world I'd rather by my side. I couldn't ask for a better friend, truly, I couldn't."

Unbidden, tears welled up in Ellie's hazel eyes, "Hush, Lily. You'll ruin my make-up," she pulled her hands from Lily's and dabbed at the eyes with the side of her finger. Clearing her throat, Ellie pulled Lily into a tight embrace, "You're like a sister to me. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Ellie felt the warm drop of Lily's tears as they fell on the back of her dress. Withdrawing from the hug, she grabbed a tissue from the dresser and wiped Lily's eyes, "Stop that now. I spent a whole ten minutes on your mascara. You mustn't ruin it."

Lily laughed. Grabbing another tissue, she wiped the rest of her tears away, "Do you think they'd be proud of me? My parents?"

Ellie replied smiling, "I think you'd have had to try very hard to ever disappoint them."

A knocked on the door drew their attention. After bidding whomever it was to enter, the door opened to reveal Mary and Lucy, both in rose colored dresses to match Ellie's. Grinning, they came into the room and each hugged Lily.

"Are you ready?" Mary asked.

Lily took a deep breath, "I've been ready for years." Taking Mary's proffered hand, she let herself be guided out of the room.

Lucy leaned in to whisper in Ellie's ear, "Didn't she hate him up until a year ago?"

Sniggering, Ellie grabbed Lucy's hand and followed the others out the door.

The ceremony was beautifully elegant. The guests were decked out in their finery. Professor Dumbledore wore vibrant purple velvet robes; even James and Sirius's mentor, Mad-Eye Moody, had worn his least dirty coat and trousers. Ellie nodded her greetings to several other recognizable faces as she passed by on Sirius's arm. He, James, Remus, and Peter were in matching black suits with coattails and deep red vests. Astoundingly, James's hair was combed back and out of his face making it easier to see the faint glimmer of nervousness in his eyes. That changed quickly to awe, however, when Lily emerged at the other end of the aisle. Led by Remus, she walked to the accompaniment of a violinist. The setting sun shone down on her, a celestial spotlight that magnified Lily's natural beauty. All apprehension fled James's face at the sight of her, and Ellie would later swear that he had tears in his eyes and his bride arrived before him and grasped his hand.

Their vows to one another were short. Similar to a muggle ceremony for Lily's benefit, they each swore to love the other through any trials that may come before them and to remain faithful until death parted them. After a chaste kiss, the guests cheered as the new husband and wife made their exit back down the gold aisle.

* * *

"Honestly Professor, why so serious, eh? I mean *hic* I've known you for nearly eight years and you've always walked 'round like you have a *hic* broomstick up your—"

"Alright then!" Ellie swooped in, leading a soused James away from Professor McGonagall, "So sorry Professor," she told the red-faced woman, "He must have hit the wine a bit too hard," McGonagall stormed away angrily. Sighing, Ellie turned back to James, who was swaying heavily.

A tent had been set up in the back yard of McDonalds' house for the reception. At just after three hours in, many of the older guests had departed, leaving the younger and much rowdier crowd to their partying. Already Ellie had escorted four witches to the toilet, levitated two passed out wizards into chairs, and broken up a fight. Now, it seemed, she was also the only thing standing between James and an afternoon of apology writing.

Catching him before he toppled over, Ellie set her friend down in a nearby chair.

"James!" She snapped her fingers in front his face.

"Fiiiiiiiirmsky," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Firewhiskey. You told McGonagall wine. Firewhiskey."

Ellie groaned, "Oh wonderful. Really James? You know you can't handle your liquor! In fact, the only person who is more of a belligerent drunk than you is—"

"Lily!" James hollered.

"Yes, Lily. Quite right."

"No, Ellie," James said as he stumbled back to his feet, "I've found Lily! Lily-flower! Over here!"

Turning to where James was looking, Ellie saw Sirius leading Lily towards them, though 'leading' was perhaps not the right word; 'holding to prevent from falling over' was more apt a description. Breaking from her escorts grip, Lily rushed forward and clumsily threw herself into James arms. Giggling, she whispered something in his ear before taking the lobe between her teeth. Sirius and Ellie looked on in horror.

"We need to get them home," he muttered.

"Side along apparition?"

"And risk them splinching themselves? I think not. Besides, I was actually prepared for this exact situation. A minute to ten isn't it? Wonderful," Grinning, almost evilly, Sirius called to the newlyweds, "Oi, Lily! Prongs! See that bottle of mead in in the corner there? Yeah, that's the one. My gift to you mate. Why don't you both just put a hand on it? I'll go grab Lucy for a picture in five…four…three….two…and one."

James and Lily disappeared.

"A portkey? Sirius you didn't!" Ellie exclaimed, "They're going to feel terrible for hours!"

"Ah," he chuckled, "But had they apparated with us we would have had to stay and get them settled. I don't know about you, love, but I don't fancy spending my night holding James's head over a toilet."

Begrudgingly, Ellie agreed. The couple spent another hour entertaining the remaining guests before finally saying their goodbyes. Linking arms, they apparated back to their flat. Ellie went immediately to the bedroom and removed her heels. As she wasn't the type to normally get done up, their removal prompted a moan to escape her lips.

"Whoa now," Sirius said as he entered the room, "I haven't even touched you yet."

Ellie picked up one shoe from the floor and tossed it at him.

Swatting it away, Sirius unbuttoned his shirt. Shrugging it off, he then moved to help Ellie with her dress. He gently pulled the pins from her hair. Moving the now loose curls over her shoulder, he took hold of the zipper and tugged in downwards. The gown slipped from her shoulders, puddling on the floor. Still at her back, Sirius traced a finger up her spine and to her neck, stopping at the delicate gold chain resting around there.

"I can't believe you still wear this," he said huskily.

"I never take it off," she replied, "It reminds me of where we started."

Sirius kissed her shoulder, "We've come far, haven't we?"

"Mhmmm," Ellie's eyes closed as her head tilted back, granting Sirius complete access to her neck. Suddenly, she found herself turned around. Opening her eyes, she smiled at the smoldering heat in Sirius's grey eyes. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her to him. Lips clashing, Ellie threw her arms around his neck. Teeth hit, tongues met, and the heat that had been building in her chest dropped lower, consuming her, until all she could do was hold on tightly as Sirius lifted her and carried her to the bed. Lightly setting her on top of the sheets, he paused only to remove his trousers before climbing into bed with her.

Lips met once more as hands explored nearly naked flesh. Rolling her over, Sirius held himself above Ellie. Abandoning all foreplay, she tugged his underwear down moments before he moved her knickers aside and entered her. Gasping at the unexpected intrusion, Ellie threw her head back. Back arching off of the mattress, she wrapped her legs around Sirius, holding on tightly as he thrust into her.

Suddenly feeling a bit daring, Ellie rolled them over. Sirius's eyes widened as she began moving on top of him. Placing her hands on his thighs, she leaned back and rocked her hips forward.

"Oh, Merlin," Sirius gasped.

Smirking down at him, she answered, "Just 'Ellie' is fine, love," He lightly smacked her ass in response to her cheek.

Once adjusted to the new position, Sirius sat up and palmed Ellie's breast. Moments later, his teeth took hold of her nipple and Ellie's paced quickened almost involuntarily. Soon low moans and pants filled the room. As his name escaped her lips, Ellie felt her orgasm hit her, a jolt of pleasure that curled her toes and blinded her with its intensity. She hardly felt Sirius's hands at her hips and her thrust into her twice more, and then finding his own release.

Afterward, they lay together in the dark, limbs tangled and sated. Sirius's hand traced her hip, the spot where he knew her oddly shaped birthmark to be. For whatever reason he'd always been fixated with it. Ellie supposed this was because it was the first part of her he'd ever touched. Indeed, thinking back on it, that light touch in front of fire in the Gryffindor Common Room had been the start of their whole relationship.

"I can hear you smiling," Sirius said, "What are you thinking about?"

Ellie chuckled, "You can't hear someone smile, Sirius."

"Can to. It's the angels, you see. When you smile they burst into this lovely chorus-"He laughed as Ellie swatted at his arm, "Really though, what's on your mind?"

Rolling over, Ellie draped herself over his chest, "I was just remembering the first time we did this."

"Had sex?"

"No, you letch. Lay together. In the Common Room in front of the fire."

"Merlin," he muttered, "that feels like ages ago. Lily still hated James then, remember?"

"I roomed with her for seven years. I'll never forget how much she hated him in the beginning."

"I suppose he was a bit of a prat. Hell, I was too."

"You still are."

"You're mean," he pouted, "As I recall you were a bit of a hellion as well. I think the only reasonably decent person in our group was Remus."

"Aw shit!" Ellie exclaimed as she sat up in bed, "We didn't say our goodbyes to Remus and Peter before leaving the wedding!"

Even in the dark, Ellie could see Sirius's face grow somber, "Don't worry yourself. Remus left immediately after the ceremony, and Peter snuck away an hour into the celebrations."

"Was there an emergency? The Order?" she asked, baffled at her friends' strange behavior.

Sirius sighed, "I doubt it. Dumbledore or Mad-Eye would have said something."

"Well maybe Remus was ill," Ellie reasoned, laying back down.

She felt Sirius shake his head, "The full moon is a two weeks away, Ellie. Besides, that doesn't explain Peter."

"Hmmm," Ellie wracked her brain for another explanation, but could come up with none, "We'll just have to ask about it the next time we see them."

"Yeah, in like six months."

They lay silently in the dark for a bit before Sirius spoke again, "Do you know what's even stranger than Remus and Peter's behavior?"

"What's that?"

"Both of our best mates have just gotten hitched and you and I have consumed not one drop of alcohol."

"You know, that is terribly odd."

"Care for some Firewhiskey, love?"

"Merlin, yes."

And in the comfort of their own home, Ellie and Sirius got smashed.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: I am so sorry for the delay in updates. I've actually been working on this chapter for quite some time, but only just got to where it was decent enough to post. For whatever reason I found it very difficult to write. I hope you enjoy it!

Please review! It makes it hard to justify continuing when I get so little feedback. A huge that you to every new follower and to everyone that has followed since the beginning!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am merely building on the magical world that JK Rowling has created for us.

**October 1979**

"Stroud! I needed that Trade Agreement on my desk yesterday!"

Ellie groaned as Rupert Ackroyd's grumbling sounded from the doorway. Rupert was Senior Assistant to the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, which meant that if he needed the report yesterday, than his boss, Agatha Brookshire, needed it today—likely now.

"Fine, fine," she muttered as she began searching her desk, "I've got it here somewhere. All it needs is your signature—here it is."

Ellie handed over the parchment and her quill to Rupert. As soon as the ink had dried, both the report and her boss were out the door. Sighing, Ellie straightened her desk before leaning back in her fake leather office chair. Try as she might, nothing seemed to be going her way lately. The situation with Rupert just moments ago was the fourth of its kind this week. The week before that she'd been late for one meeting and completely forgotten another.

The sudden sound of Ellie's grumbling stomach filled the room. Checking the clock on the wall, she saw that eight o'clock had come and gone, and it was well past supper time.

"Shit," she muttered. Thursdays were Sirius's late nights with the Order which meant it was her turn to cook dinner. She'd hardly have time to get home and turn the stove on before he arrived. Hurriedly, she gathered some documents along with her purse and coat. With a wary glace across the hall, she began closing the door as quietly as possible to avoid any and all detection by Rupert.

Slowly…quietly…gently…click.

"Stroud!"

Ellie winced. Heaving himself up from his desk, Rupert stepped into the hall with a stack of parchment. "Take that to Crouch for me would you? If he's gone for the night just leave it with his Undersecretary. She usually stays late. Huh. Strouds her name too isn't it? Any relation?"

"Sister," Ellie replied through gritted teeth.

"Ah, wonderful. In that case, go ahead and see if she can get him to sign these," Another stack was added to the pile, "Spain's been trying for days to get that Death Eater the Aurors caught last month extradited, but Crouch isn't budging. Damn stubborn that one. See if that sister of yours can't talk some sense into him. Right then. Goodnight!"

Before she even had a chance to protest Ellie's nose was millimeters away from Rupert's office door. Cutting one last searing glare at the closed door, she hoisted the heap of forms onto her hip and began the journey to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

* * *

In all the time she'd been employed at the Ministry, Ellie never had reason to venture to this particular department, in fact, she readily avoided it. One too many suspect Death Eaters had managed to worm their way into its employ—Ariella included. Sirius griped constantly about how corrupt the entire department was. Voldemort had infiltrators in not only the administration, but in the field work as well via the Aurors.

Several wrong turns and one awkward lift ride later, Ellie was standing in front of an ominous mahogany door. In the center of the door was a gold name-plate that read:

_Ariella Stroud_

Senior Undersecretary to Bartemius Crouch,

Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

"How wonderful for her," Ellie grumbled. Steeling herself, she knocked with a shaking hand.

"Enter."

Ellie slowly pushed the heavy door open. Inside, Ariella sat at her desk engrossed in some sort of reading. The room was dimly lit, but Ellie was able to see clearly enough to study her twin. Ariella had allowed her golden hair to grow out. It fell now just below her shoulders. A dainty pair of glasses sat on her nose, their necessity likely due to the stacks of parchment strewn all over the desk. Faint lines were beginning to form at the corners of her eyes, piercing blue eyes that were now locked on to Ellie's matching pair.

"Estella."

A flicker of surprise ran across Ari's face. It was gone, though, as soon as Ellie made note of it, "Ariella," she replied, "Akroyd sent me with these for Crouch. Also, there's the matter of Matias Chavez that needs to be resolved. I've a form here for that if you'd be oh-so-kind as to pass it along. It's in this pile somewhere…ah, ha! There we go. Now, if you'll just—,"

"Please sister," Ari interrupted and gestured to the armchair on the other side of the desk, "Sit. Oh, and shut the door behind you."

Apprehensively, Ellie did as her twin asked. Once the door latched shut, she walked further into the office and placed the forms on Ari's desk before sitting down in the oversized leather chair, "I don't have long Ariella," she said, "What's this about?"

Ari crossed her arms and leaned forward to rest them in front of her. A small smile adorned her face, "Why does it have to be about anything? Can't I just have a polite conversation with my sister?"

"No."

"Hm," The smile left her face, "Nonetheless, that is what I want. We haven't spoken in ages, Ellie. I miss you."

"And whose fault is that?" Ellie retorted, her level of agitation increasing by the second.

"Yours actually. You're the one walked away that night, Ellie. You're the one who told me to stay away," Ari stated calmly.

"You were dating a Death Eater! Now you're _engaged_ to a Death Eater!"

Ari's usually eerily calm and collected expression was transformed with rage, "You have no idea why I've made the decisions I have," she hissed, "The sacrifices I've made. There are things in motions the likes you which you have no—,"

"Do you think me stupid?" Ellie interjected, livid, "My father is a Death Eater. My sister, if not a Death Eater herself, is certainly engaged to one. My mother is quite possibly the most bigoted witch on the face of the earth and so loathes the fact that one of her daughters strayed off the 'path of intolerance' that she won't even acknowledge me. So yes, Ari, do continue to tell me how hard you've had it. Tell me more about how much you've sacrificed."

The anger on Ari's face gave way to astonishment, "It's amazing. Astounding actually. All these years and you haven't changed at all."

"Excuse me?" Ellie huffed.

"It's all still black and white to you isn't it? You seem to be under the impression that just because you fight for 'good' means that you're the only one entitled to any hardship. You think that the Death Eaters just sit around chortling and plotting while the Order fights the good fight. There is an awful lot more going on here, Estella. All is rarely ever as it seems."

"Then tell me what's going on. Tell me why," she pleaded.

Ari's fingers rose up to massage her temple, "I can't. Would that I could, but it is out of my hands," Suddenly, she rose from her chair and came around to Ellie. Grouching down, Ari took Ellie's hands in her own, "I need you to start being more careful. Always go directly home after work, don't venture out at night, and for Merlin's sake leave the Order!"

"How do you know…?"

"Never mind how I know! Working for the Order is incredibly dangerous, Ellie. All of its members are high priority targets. The Dark Lord will not be merciful it you are captured. And I couldn't bear it if any harm ever came to you," Tears began to fall from Ari's eyes, "I love you, Ellie. Despite the mess I've made of things I hope you know that. I am so sorry if you ever doubted it. And I hope," Hard sobs now wracked her body, "I hope you can find it in you to love me still."

Tears now in her own eyes, Ellie abandoned her chair and knelt next to her twin. She cupped her face in her palms and forced Ari to meet her gaze, "You are my other half. There is nothing you could ever do to stop my loving you."

The sisters embraced, an act that had not occurred in over three years. They held each other as if it were the last time they would ever do so. The stresses of their lives faded to the background, the trials and uncertainties they both faced becoming inconsequential. All that remained was this moment. This single moment when the bond of two sisters was reformed—stronger than ever.

And then there was a knock on the door.

Ari leapt up and away from Ellie, a look of distress on her face. Taking the cue from her sister, Ellie also quickly got to her feet. Both wiped the tears from their eyes and schooled their expressions moments before the door was thrust open by Lucius Malfoy. He strode into the room, stopping short as his gaze landed on Ellie.

"Well well well," he drawled, "Estella Stroud. I must say, this is _quite_ the surprise," his gaze flickered questioningly to Ariella.

"Estella was just dropping off some forms for Barty to sign," she answered, the uncaring droll once again present in her voice. "She was just leaving, actually," Ari turned to address her sister, "Run along now, sister dear. The adults need to talk."

Ellie would have been offended had she missed the quick wink Ari gave her twin. Realizing her sister's change in attitude was due to Malfoy's presence, she swallowed her retort and instead made her way to the door.

"I'll leave you to it then," she said as she twisted the knob, "See that Crouch signs those, Ariella."

With that, Ellie opened the door and hurriedly left her sister's office.

* * *

Ellie arrived home a half hour later to a dark and empty flat. Sirius was due home any minute, so she turned on the over and began preparing supper. Once everything was in the process of cooking, she set the table. Sitting down at the table with her newly poured glass of wine, Ellie waited for the food to be ready.

An hour later she was still sitting at the kitchen table. Her plate was cleared and her wine glass empty. Sirius had yet to walk through the door. Chalking it up to a later than average night with the Order—which did occur every now and again—she got up to clean the kitchen and prepare for bed.

At one in the morning, Ellie lay awake in bed. She had been trying to sleep for the past several hours, but was unable to do so as Sirius had not yet arrived home. Getting out of bed and pulling on her robe, Ellie had every intention of flooing James and would have done just that had she not heard the front door open.

She entered the living room, only to pause at the sight before her. Sirius was leaning against the door, his head tilted back and eyes closed. Ellie's intuition immediately told her that this was not just exhaustion; something was terribly wrong.

"Sirius? What is it?"

Opening his eyes, he looked her way and answered, "He's dead, Els."

This response was not unexpected. Ellie had assumed someone had died the minute she came upon him. The only question now was who.

"Who's dead? Is it James? Remus?"

Sirius sighed, "Regulus."

Ellie was shocked, "Oh, Merlin. Sirius…I…," she found herself at a loss for words.

Keeping the lights off, Sirius pushed himself off the door and made his way to the kitchen. Ellie followed, listening as he continued talking, "Mother sent word just as I was leaving the Ministry. Apparently Reg was killed by Voldemort; that's the rumor at least. Funerals tomorrow."

He had pulled a wineglass from the cupboard, and made to pour himself a glass. Stopping just before the wine fell, he set the bottle down and braced himself against the counter, "They don't even had a body to bury, Els," Tears welled up in his grey eyes, "My little brother won't even get a proper burial."

"Why Ellie? Why did he have to get mixed up with them?" Sorrow was quickly replaced by anger, "He was such the _perfect_ son! So _loyal_! And where did his loyalty get him, hm? Dead!"

Ellie jumped as the wineglass soared across the room and shattered against the wall.

"Why?" he hollered. Seemingly unable to hold himself up any longer, Sirius sank to the floor, sobbing. As she had done with her sister earlier that evening, Ellie got to her knees and drew him into her arms. He tucked his head into her neck, holding her as if she were the only thing keeping him grounded. Sirius's warm tears trailed down her neck, her own also falling down her cheeks as she cried for the second time today. Only this time, it was for a sibling who was lost and a relationship that would never be mended.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: I have two exams tomorrow which means its update time! Please review and enjoy!

December 24, 1979

"Is it really Christmas again already?"

Lily, who was covering the remaining ham, nodded her head, "Seems like this year came and went doesn't it?"

"In a flash," Ellie agreed. Frowning, she wrapped up the pecan pie with one piece missing, "I swear its better this year."

"Sirius said you put mayonnaise in it."

"It's supposed to be the secret ingredient! Besides, you can hardly taste it," Ellie's pride couldn't take much more of this abuse.

"Then it should have been the _forgotten _ingredient," Lily chuckled, "I wasn't going to risk it anyway. Mayonnaise or not."

"Now wait just one bloody minute-!"

_Bang_!

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud noise from outside. Lily nearly dropped the dinner plate she was cleaning in the sink, and Ellie's pecan pie fell to the floor. Each let out an irritated sigh. While they'd taken on the task of clearing the table and cleaning the dishes, James and Sirius had managed to escape outside to work on a project. The 'project' being Sirius's motorbike that resided at the Potters' as Sirius and Ellie had no room for it at their flat.

"Those two and that damn motorbike!" Ellie exclaimed as she bent down pick up the squashed pie. Luckily, she'd already wrapped it thus preventing the fall from ruining it, "After that incident a couple of years ago I thought they'd done away with it."

"What incident?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"The one with the muggle police, remember? They chased them through…wait…," Ellie's eyes widened, "I'd forgotten James asked me not to tell you about that...oops."

Fire lit in Lily's eyes. She stormed into the living room and to the front door. Throwing it open, she hollered, "James Potter! There will be no police chases this year!" James, once recovered from the shock of his raging wife yelling at him, threw glare at Ellie, who was standing next to Lily in the doorway, pie still in hand. "No, don't look at her," Lily growled, "Inside, the both of you...now!"

Lily turned from the doorway and went back inside Eyes wide, Ellie looked to Sirius and James who were sullenly picking up their tools, "Sorry guys," she said sheepishly. James threw the cover over the motorbike and glanced her way.

"No worries, Els," he said "The pregnancy hormones have got her even moodier than usual."

The pecan pie fell to the floor once more.

* * *

"Pregnant!"

"Yes, Ellie"

"You're pregnant!"

"...Yes, Ellie"

"You're having a baby!"

"Can shock impair hearing?" Lily muttered over her shoulder to James.

"When were you going to tell me?" Ellie asked Lily, finally having processed the news.

The red head narrowed her eyes at James, "We'd actually agreed to wait until the end of the first trimester. A lot can happen in the first couple of months, and we didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. Blabber mouth here apparently couldn't keep his trap shut."

James grinned at his wife. He threw an arm over her shoulder and kissed her cheek, "They're our best friends, Lils. Besides, I'm sure they can keep our secret."

"Sirius couldn't even keep my pecan pie secret ingredient quiet."

Sirius, who had so far been quiet, rolled his eyes, "She threw up last year, love. I doubt the addition of mayonnaise and being pregnant would have helped the situation at all."

Ellie had to concede the point.

A knock suddenly sounded at the door. The atmosphere of the room immediately shifted from cheerfulness to trepidation. Smiles fled and were replaced by grim frowns. Ellie moved to stand in front of Lily.

"Expecting anyone, mate?" Sirius asked James, who had risen from the couch.

"No."

The two men pulled our their wands and slowly approached the door.

"It's a shame that in these times unannounced visitors usually mean someone's either dead or about to be," Lily whispered. Her eyes were fixed on the door and a hand was protectively placed over her flat stomach. Ellie grabbed Lily's free hand. The tight hold she had on her friend in one hand mimicked the grip of her wand in the other.

James had reached the door while the women were conversing. He twisted the lock, the movement slow and soundless. As the door was slowly opened, Ellie felt her adrenaline spike. Her heart was racing; her wand, rising.

And then relief flooded her.

"Surprise!" Remus hollered, grinning. Sensing the mood of the room, he turned to address Sirius, his face now worried, "Did someone die?"

"Nope," Sirius replied and he tucked his wand back in his pocket, "But Lily's pregnant."

James rolled his eyes, Ellie snickered, and Lily's face went bright red.

"Black!"

* * *

Remus was quickly ushered inside. As his cloak was put away James caught him up on the news. Congratulations were issued and the five friends move to settle themselves around the empty dining room table. Lily gathered together a plate of leftovers for Remus from the kitchen along with four glasses of Elderberry wine that he had brought.

"So good to see you, Remus," she said as she took a seat in between him and James, sipping on a cup of tea she'd made for herself.

James took a sip wine. Setting the glass back down, he addressed the new arrival, "Don't get me wrong, we're bloody glad to have you, but I thought Dumbledore had you occupied for the evening? We'd have waited to eat if we knew you were coming."

Remus nodded and wiped his mouth, "Until about an hour ago I thought I wouldn't make it as well. I got Dumbledore's owl just before leaving my flat. Apparently someone else volunteered to take over my guard duties tonight, and you'll never guess who it was."

They all mentally ran through the list of Order members who had nothing better to do on Christmas Eve than to volunteer for guard duty. There was no one.

"New member?" Ellie asked.

"Wormtail," Remus forked mashed potatoes into his mouth as everyone's jaws dropped.

Sirius was the first to regain speech. "Wormtail? Our Wormtail?"

"How many other 'Wormtails' do you know, Padfoot?"

"I'm just surprised is all. I love him like a brother, but Peter's never been very...erm...how to say it...," he looked into his glass of wine as though it possessed the answers he sought.

Ellie interjected, "Courageous?"

Sirius winced, "Er, yes."

"Why now?" Lily asked, brows furrowed, "We all joined over a year ago. I understand that we didn't all have to join together, but why wait so long?"

"I'm more interested in why he never mentioned anything to us about it," James mused.

Ellie offered the only explanation she could think of, "Maybe Dumbledore gave him something very important to do and wanted to keep it hush-hush."

Her comment was greeted with silence as everyone tried to contain their amusement. James and Sirius were unsuccessful. Both men threw their heads back and let loose great howls of laughter.

"Yeah," Sirius said with watery eyes and a giant grin, "And Voldemort's a karaoke singer in his spare time."

Ellie rolled her eyes. Standing up from the table, she grabbed Remus's now empty plate, "I'll give you children a moment to collect yourselves. Want any dessert Remus? There's still pecan pie left."

"Don't do it, Moony," James snickered, "The damn things been dropped twice."

"And has _mayonnaise_ in it," Lily fake whispered.

Ellie looked expectantly at Remus who seemed to be looking for a rock to crawl under. Gathering his never, he smiled, "I'd love a piece, Ellie."

Offering a blinding smile of her own, Ellie nearly skipped to the kitchen. Returning, pie in hand, she set the plate before him and took her seat. Everyone watched on baited breath as Remus slowly cut off a portion with his fork and brought it to his mouth. With one last half-smile at Ellie, he popped the pie into his mouth. He chewed quickly, hoping that whatever ill taste there may be would be minimized by doing so.

"Well?" Lily asked, "How is it?"

Remus continued to chew. Once he finally swallowed, he picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. Finally, he looked at Ellie, "It's wonderful! Best pie I've ever tasted," he then turned to the others, "You've really got to have a piece. It's divine."

Begrudgingly, James, Sirius, and Lily all agreed to have a piece of the pie. Ellie was beaming as she left to gather more plates and cut everyone a slice. As soon as she was out of earshot Sirius leaned across the table and whispered to Remus, "Is it really alright?"

Remus cut his eyes to Sirius, "I refuse to suffer though this alone."


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: If I say 'sorry' can we pretend I haven't not updated in months? Please? And if I say 'pretty please' will you review? Pretty please?

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Yada yada yada.**

April 1980

As it did every year, the harsh bite of winter gave way to the chill damp of spring. The sun shone more often, and Ellie was able to venture outside without five layers of clothing. She enjoyed taking her tea outdoors on the patio in the mornings and long walks through the park when she could squeeze them into her schedule. Spring was without a doubt Ellie's favorite season.

This sunny spring day found Ellie in an obscure muggle suburb just outside of London. The house itself was lovely—tidy and homey. It was the conversation taking place inside that had Ellie ruefully wishing she could up and leave. Alas, one did not walk out of an Order meeting.

Dedalus Diggle had volunteered his house for their Headquarters location well before Ellie and her friends had joined the Order. He had been one of Dumbledore's first recruits, and was therefore very knowledgeable on all inside information as it pertained to the War. He also loved to hear himself talk. Ellie held the wizard in high regard, but when he approached the forty-minute mark on a lecture about the Ministry layout, she found herself tempted to escape out the window. It appeared she wasn't the only one for feel this way either.

Alice Longbottom, a past school mate of Ellie's, was looking a tad green. She and Lily were both expecting their first child in July. If Ellie's second hand experience with Lily was any indication, the nauseous look on Alice's face probably had something to do with morning sickness. Frank Longbottom, Alice's husband, was seated next to her and seemed to be monitoring the situation closely with obvious apprehension.

Professor McGonagall looked thoroughly peeved as she was seated next to James who had, last they'd spoken, told her she acted like she had a broomstick wedged up her…well, it seemed as though she would remember that conversation for a while yet. James, on the other hand, didn't seem to recall what he'd said and was too busy swapping notes with Sirius to notice the professor's discomfort.

On the other side of the table, Lily was doing her best to keep her laughter controlled. She was sitting next to Dorcas Meadows who appeared to be mocking everything that came out of Dedalus's mouth. Dorcas was another member who had been involved since the beginning, and unlike Dedalus's, she preferred laughter to lecture.

Another member to join shortly before Ellie was Marlene McKinnon. She was several years older than the Gryffindors, and had somehow managed to get herself seated between the Prewett boys. The poor woman was sitting so still and proper Ellie feared she'd be unable to move once the meeting adjourned. On their part, the men looked to be thoroughly immersed in Dedalus's presentation.

Peter also seemed to be listening very intensely. Ellie found this odd considering the fact that he'd never paid so close attention to anything while they were in school. Perhaps he'd turned over a new leaf, though, and Elle could hardly rebuke him for that.

It had been several months since they'd all been gathered together like this. The last time had been shortly after an attack in Hogsmeade in which two members had been killed. Dumbledore didn't like to get them all together under one roof very often for fear that one attack could potentially decimate the Order, but it was necessary when events such as a member death had occurred. Ellie fervently hoped that the reason for this meeting was the exception to this trend.

The only members absent from the meeting were Remus, Mad-Eye, Aberforth Dumbledore, Caradoc Dearborn, and Edgar Bones. Dumbledore himself was also absent, but was expected to arrive any minute to officially start the meeting. Ellie just hoped she would last through Dedalus's lecture that long.

* * *

Another ten minutes later the sound of the front door opening interrupted Dedalus's explanation of proper wand carrying. As Dumbledore entered the room, each Order member visibly perked up. It took Dedalus a moment to realize he'd lost what little hold on his audience he possessed. All attention was focused now on the Hogwarts Headmaster.

"Ah, Albus! I was just telling our young members here about the history of the Ministry's architecture. Very important for them to know if they're ever…well…erm…."

"I'm sure it was a riveting lesson, Dedalus."

Ellie smirked and looked to Dumbledore expecting to see the usual twinkle in his eye and mirth in his expression. She was worried indeed to find that all humor was absent from the Headmaster's countenance. It hit her then that the war was beginning to have an effect on Dumbledore. Those who didn't know him well would miss the signs, but having spent seven years under his tutelage at Hogwarts, Ellie could very easily tell things were amiss. She snuck a glace over to Sirius who also appeared concerned.

Once Dedalus gave up his position at the front of the room, it seemed to take Dumbledore hours to adjust himself in the leather chair at the head of the table. Ellie could nearly hear the tic of the clock as he slowly lowered himself into the chair. Just as she thought he was going to speak, Dumbledore removed his half-moon spectacles and cleaned them on the sleeve of his robes.

Finally, he replaced his glasses and cleared his throat, "I'd like to first take a moment to thank you all for your hard work and dedication to our cause. You've volunteered your time, jeopardized your jobs, and risked your lives. I deeply wish I could tell you that the end was in sight. That victory was nearly in our grasp. Alas, this is not the case. Last week there were four more disappearances. The Muggle Relations Ambassador and his wife and child were abducted from their home just last night, and our own Caradoc Dearborn has not been seen since Tuesday."

An uneasy muttering filled the room. Raising his hand, Dumbledore managed to quiet everyone, "I have every confidence that Mr. Dearborn will be recovered. As we speak Remus is attempting to locate him. I will update you all by owl as soon as more information becomes available." He then took a breath, "Unfortunately, I have other news that is not so optimistic. Edgar Bones and his family were murdered last night."

Frank Longbottom was the first to speak, "Dead? All of them?" The Longbottoms were close friends with the whole Bones family, Alice and Edgar's wife Malvis having roomed together at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore nodded somberly, "The Dark Mark was spotted above their house at 9:10 last night. Aurors entered shortly thereafter and discovered Edgar, Malvis, and little Abby in the upstairs bedroom. The Killing Curse, it seems."

Alice covered her face with her hands and began sobbing. Frank drew her to his side, whispering to her while fighting back his own tears. Quieter sniffling was coming from both Marlene and Lily while the others sat mute, all remembering what a talented wizard Edgar was. He was certainly the last person Ellie thought would be taken from them, though perhaps his dueling prowess is what drove the Death Eaters to seek him out in the first place. The fact that is family was killed as well was even more devastating. Abby Bones had just turned three. Three years old and gone already. The sickening truth was that even children weren't safe from these monsters.

Ellie looked up from the table to peek at a still crying Lily. Her head was resting on his shoulder and each had one hand gently resting on her slightly protruding stomach. Stealing a look at Sirius, Ellie saw that he was also fixated on the new life their friends hoped to protect.

It took Ellie a moment to realize Dumbledore had resumed speaking.

"—reconfigure this month's schedule. Minerva, I take it you've drawn up a draft?" McGonagall replied in the affirmative and stood to speak.

And so the meeting continued as any other, the only noticeable difference being the tears that had yet to dry and the atmosphere of defeat that even the open windows couldn't air out.

* * *

Two hours later they were adjourned. Ellie rose to her feet feeling as if she'd just been run over by a train. She rubbed the weariness out of her eyes. Hands came to rest on her cheeks and Ellie felt a kissed land on her forehead.

"You okay, love?" Sirius whispered in her ear.

"Mmmm," Ellie wrapped her arms around his waist. She tucked her head under his chin and whispered in response, "I'm worried about Lily."

Sirius wrapped his arms around her, "She'll be okay. The baby too. James would die before he let anything happen to them."

"That's exactly what I don't want to happen," Ellie grumbled, pulling away, "I don't think I can handle another death, Sirius."

He remained silent, knowing he could not promise her what she wanted.

"Ready to head out?" James walked towards them hand in hand with Lily. The other Order members were already filing out of the room.

"Sure thing, Prongs. Dinner at our place?"

Lily and James shared a look and Ellie rolled her eyes, "I'll pick up sandwiches from Ms. Mattie's."

"Lily. James," Dumbledore said softly from across the room. Alice and Frank stood next to him. "A moment please?"

The couple was visibly confused, but said their goodbyes to Ellie and Sirius with plans to have dinner once they finally managed to escape this overlong meeting.

"I wonder what that's about," Sirius wondered as they exited Dedalus's house.

Ellie clasped his hand in hers, "I suppose we'll find out soon enough," and the two disapparated.


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Ah, life. It sucks all of my writing time away. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Enjoy and Review!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Anything/character is the property of JK Rowling.**

* * *

July 31, 1980

Ellie had woken up just after dawn to the sound of Lily and James's owl, Kermit, tapping on the bedroom window. She untangled hers and Sirius's limbs before tossing back the comforter and letting the winged creature inside. James had written to let them know that Lily's contractions had begun and that they were leaving for St. Mungos. He advised them to go about their morning as usual and head to the hospital after lunch. Needless to say, Ellie had thrown on her robe, scarfed down breakfast, and hauled ass out the door. This all before realizing that Sirius was still fast asleep in bed.

They'd accosted the front desk for information on Lily's room location which was given with obvious amusement. Looking back, Ellie would concede that she and Sirius probably should have gotten properly dressed before leaving the flat. His red flannel pajama pants with Black Sabbath t-shirt, and her cotton shorts with her favorite "I'm a Keeper" tank and bathrobe were not winning them any fashion awards.

The couple raced into Lily's room only to be greeted with a mixture of terrifying sights and sounds. Lily's face was pinched and her hoarse yell echoed in the room. James was shouting "encouragingly" at his wife while attempting to hide his wince as she squeezed his hand. Unfortunately, they were also at the "receiving end" of the birth and Ellie's surprised exclamation drew the attention of the stout mid-wife who angrily shooed them from the room. After what she'd just seem, Ellie was all too happy to allow herself to be kicked out. She and Sirius both retreated to the waiting room paled-faced and wracking their brains to recall the last time Ellie had taken her contraception potion.

They sat down in two of the many chairs that lined the peach colored room. In addition to being a terrible brown color, the chairs were wood with very little cushion and Ellie's butt was numb after a half hour. Sirius had only been able to remain seated for a few minutes before he'd forgone the wooden torture device in favor of pacing. Two hours later she was unbearably uncomfortable and he'd walked the same section so much that Ellie was beginning to notice a fade in the carpet.

Sirius stopped and let out a heaving sigh. He threw himself into the chair next to her, "Does it usually take this long?"

"How should I know?"

He looked at her as if she'd grown another head, "You're a woman aren't you?"

Ellie rolled her eyes and muttered, "Merlin."

"Anyone back here?" A familiar voice called from just beyond the doorway.

Ellie and Sirius instantly perked up.

"Is that-?"

"Mooney!"

Both lept to their feet as Remus entered the room trailed by Peter. Sirius and Ellie each rushed over to embrace their friends.

"Whoa, Wormtail," Sirius exclaimed as he pulled away from Peter, "Lost some weight have you?"

Red crept into Peter's cheeks. He shot a sheepish look at Ellie before turning his attention back to Sirius, "A bit yeah. Moved out of Mum's place a while back and haven't been able to cook for myself much."

Ellie wound her arms around Remus's waist, "You lose any more and you'll be looking like Remus," she grinned up at him, "You both should stop by for dinner sometime. I cook often enough to keep Sirius healthy."

Peter cocked his head to the side and studied Sirius, "You actually look like you've lost a bit yourself, Padfoot."

"That's because the neighbors' dog has found it," he chuckled.

"Hey!" Ellie scowled.

"Maybe we can throw a small get-together for James and Lily once they get settled with the baby?" Remus suggested.

"That'd be great! Will you be free a couple of weeks from now, Peter?"

At his name, Peter looked up from the floor, "Wha-? Oh! Um...maybe?"

"Do you have work?" Ellie asked.

"Ah...no."

"Does Dumbledore have you assigned to anything?" Sirius questioned.

"N-no."

"Do you have a secret group of friends you like more than us?" Remus teased.

"No!" Peter's eyes had widened to the size of an owl's, "O-of course not."

Sirius laughed and clapped him on the back, "No worries mate. Come if you can. If not, we'll try for another time."

Ellie unwound her arms from around Remus. Checking her watch, she sighed, "Speaking of time, when's the little tot going to get here? We've been waiting two and a half hours."

"Has she started pushing yet?" Remus asked.

"Well, no one's told us, but…," Sirius grimaced.

"But what?"

"I think we can safely assume she's already started pushing," Ellie continued, "We, ah, might have entered the room a little prematurely."

"Oh...Oh!" Remus's eyes widened, "Merlin, that must have been terrifying."

Ellie grabbed each man by the elbow and led them to the chairs, "Boys, you don't know the half of it."

* * *

After waiting another hour, a Healer finally came to show them to the Potter's room. They all piled in. Ellie took note of James standing next to Lily who was sitting up in bed. Both appeared entirely exhausted but completely elated at the same time. Her eyes scanned the couple until they finally rested on the small, swaddled infant in Lily's arms.

Harry James Potter. Lily barely got the introduction out before Ellie burst into tears and grabbed for the boy. She wasn't usually prone to fits of emotion, but Ellie would tell Harry several years later that she'd never seen a more perfect baby in all her life. Already he looked like a mini-James, and when he opened his eyes to see her for the first time, Ellie gasped at the startling green eyes that met hers.

Reluctantly, she allowed Harry to be taken from her and introduced to the Marauders. She sat on the bed next to Lily and took her friend's hand.

"You okay, Lils?"

Lily squeezed her hand, "I'm wonderful. I mean, after the agonizing six hours of contractions and three hours of pushing a tiny human out of my body I've sort of settled into this blissful state where I'm not really feeling anything but exceptionally happy."

"Drugs then."

"So many drugs."

Ellie grinned. Resting her head on Lily's shoulder, the two women watched as the men huddled around Harry. Sirius was holding him while Remus surrendered his finger to Harry's grasp. Peter stood slightly to the side, looking a bit uncomfortable. Ellie suspected this was due to the fact that this was first time he'd ever been around an infant. James was smiling and recounting to his friends all the events of the day. Ellie could practically see the joy radiating off of him.

Peter stayed for another few minutes before saying his goodbyes. His eyes lingered for a moment on Harry as he exited the room. Remus took Harry from Sirius and rocked him while they all discussed when it would be best to get everyone together to. Once they'd picked out a date, Remus handed a now sleeping Harry to Ellie. He hugged everyone, congratulated Lily and James, and left. Ellie took a seat on the couch next to Lily's bed, cradling the sleeping infant in her arms. Sirius sat next her, arm thrown over her shoulder and running a finger softly over Harry's dark baby hair.

"He's perfect, Lils." Ellie leaned down to kiss Harry's little forehead, lingering a moment to take in the wonderful smell of baby that she hoped would never fade.

James, who was sitting in an armchair at the other side of Lily's bed, shot Sirius a knowing look, "I'd watch out, Pads. This all came about 'cause Lily ran into Lucy Johnson and her little girl, Angelina, one day. Spent all night going on about how sweet and adorable she was. A month later, BAM. We're expecting a baby."

Sirius continued to look at Harry, "It wouldn't be so bad," he muttered.

It took Ellie a moment to fully understand what had just been said. Once it registered, she whipped her head to the side to look at Sirius, "You want a baby?" She asked, incredulous. A baby wasn't something they'd ever discussed before.

"Well not _now_, obviously," he finally looked up from Harry to meet Ellie's eyes, "Someday, though."

Merlin, help her. Ellie stared into Sirius's smokey gray eyes and found herself wanting nothing more than to rush home and immediately start baby-making practice.

A throat cleared.

Both Ellie and Sirius shook themselves out of the baby induced trance they were in a turned to Lily and James. Lily was looking at them with a cocked eyebrow, and James was clearly giddy at the thought of a new generation of Marauders.

"I'm glad you both seem to want children," Smiling, Lily grabbed her husband's hand, "because we've got something we want to ask you."

James took over, "We were hoping that you would be Harry's Godparents."

Ellie let out an embarrassing squeal, cut short when Harry began to squirm, "Are you serious?" she asked.

Lily answered, "I can't think of any other people I'd trust with my child."

"We know that if anything should happen to us, you'd treat him as your own," James added.

"We'd be honored, mate," Sirius said. He looked down at Harry, and then back up at Ellie, "That okay with you, love?"

Ellie grinned, "Absolutely." The two shared a kiss over the head of their Godson.

When they separated, a strange look came over Ellie's face. She glanced down at Harry before addressing Lily, "Do you know the best thing about being a Godparent instead of a parent?"

Confused, Lily asked, "What?"

Getting to her feet, Ellie kissed Harry and handed him to his mother, "When they unleash whatever horror just fell into his diaper, you can give them back. Bye guys!"

She grabbed Sirius's hand and yanked him out the door.


	32. Chapter 32

**October 1980**

"Diaper?"

"Dry."

"Nap?"

"He screams louder when I try to put him down."

"Have you tried the bottle?"

"Of course I've tried the bottle! He won't take it." Ellie snapped. She and Sirius stood in their kitchen, Harry's shrill wail filling the apartment. He'd begun crying thirty minutes ago, and despite their attempts to quiet him, didn't seem too keen on stopping any time soon.

At three months old, Harry was finally deemed old enough by Lily to spend the day with his Godparents. James and Lily had dropped him off earlier that morning so that they could get started on the long list of errands and chores Lily had planned. With it being Saturday, Ellie and Sirius had planned to spend a lovely, quiet day at home with their godson.

Harry clearly had other plans.

"Bloody hell. My ears are ringing," Ellie groaned, still desperately rocking the crying infant.

"Here," Sirius pulled the key to his motorcycle out of his pants pocket, "try this."

Ellie took the key and jingled it in front of Harry. Once the shiny object caught the baby's attention, his cries slowly turned to whimpers and then to giggles as he reached up towards the key. Deeming it too large to fit in his mouth, Ellie gave it to him. Smiling, Harry shook the key in his hand until it made the jingling sound again.

Sirius was ecstatic. Apparently, Harry's interest in the motorcycle key indicated a future interest in the motorcycle itself, "Well, this is promising," he grinned.

"Three-months old or thirty, Lily would murder you if you ever let him on that death machine."

Sirius pulled a chair out from their small kitchen table and sat down. He threw his elbows up and clasped his hands behind his head. Extending his legs in front of him, he replied, "Ah, well. What Lily doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, it's my duty as Godfather to let him do everything his parents won't."

Ellie shook her head. Looking down at Harry, she whispered, "We are never going to tell your mother about this conversation. Agreed?"

He giggled.

"That's a good lad."

Once Harry's mood had improved, Ellie and Sirius were able to get him fed, changed, and put down for a nap. They'd layered several blankets on the living room floor in front of the sofa and fortified it with numerous pillows so he couldn't roll away. Exhausted, the couple lay down on the couch in an attempt to nap as well. Sirius sat with his legs resting on the ottoman in front of him. He moved his arms behind his head so that Ellie could lay next to him. She lay on her back, head in his lap, and was seconds from falling asleep when Harry began to whimper again. Half asleep already, Ellie picked up Harry from his pallet and resumed her position on the couch, this time, with Harry lying contently on her chest. Sirius brought down a hand and placed it on her head, gently petting her blonde curls. Within minutes man, woman, and baby were sound asleep.

* * *

Lily and James returned to the flat several hours later to find their friends playing on the floor with their son. Various non-toy items were scattered around them. Old school papers, one of Ellie's bracelets, several keys, and a stuffed hippogriff that Ellie had pulled from storage. Currently, Harry was fascinated with the dark lock of Sirius's hair that he'd managed to grab hold of.

"Ow ow ow! Get him off Ellie!" Sirius winced as he tried to pull away yet again.

Unfortunately for him, Ellie was laughing far too hard to be any help. Movement caught her eye, and she turned to find James and Lily watching the scene from the doorway, they themselves doing nothing to stifle their laughter. When it became clear that Harry was not going to relinquish his hold any time soon, Lily stepped in to help. She gently unfurled Harry's fist and freed Sirius.

"Blood hell," he exclaimed while rising to his feet, "The boy's got a mean grip."

Lily kissed her son of the head, "You probably deserved it," she snickered.

James stepped forward and took in the state of the room, "I'm all for innovation, Pads, but why not just use the toys we brought?"

Ellie and Sirius looked dumbly at him.

"Excuse me?" Ellie questioned.

"What toys?" Sirius asked.

James picked up the diaper bag that had been set on the couch. Opening the smaller pouch at its front, he pulled out a rattle, several stuffed animals, a play mat, and a portable bassinet.

Ellie groaned and Sirius covered his eyes with his hand, "We may have missed that."

Laughing, Lily scooped up Harry, "We've brought dinner as payment. I'll help you set the table, Els." The women and baby left for the kitchen while the men repacked the diaper bag. Ellie took out plates and utensils while Lily removed their dinner from a brown bag on the table.

"When did that get there?" Ellie asked.

"You and Sirius were so concentrated on Harry that James and I walked in, set down the food, and had a chat in the kitchen without you noticing."

"I can't help it, Lils, he such a cute baby," Ellie cooed at the infant. They sat down at the table and began loading their plates. Soon after, Sirius and James entered the kitchen and joined Ellie and Lily at the table. Harry sat in Lily's lap, happily gumming on her finger. Plates were filled while the friends talked about the most recent news. They talked and ate for nearly an hour, until the dip of Harry's head against his mother's shoulder signaled the Potter's need to leave. At the door, Ellie kissed her godson on the forehead. Taking great care not to wake him, she hugged Lily next. It was rare that they got moments like this, and Ellie lingered a moment in Lily's embrace.

"Please be careful, Lils," she implored. Lily nodded against her shoulder, "You too," she muttered.

The friends let each other go. Ellie said her goodbyes to James while Sirius kissed Harry and embraced Lily.

"Take care, Prongs," he said to James as he opened the front door. James clasped him on the shoulder, "We'll see you soon," he assured his friend. The family left, and Sirius shut the door behind them.

* * *

After the Potter's left Ellie and Sirius retreated to their bedroom. Sirius reclined in bed while Ellie readied for it. He watched as she removed her earrings and the necklace he'd given her, placing both in her jewelry box. She slipped out of her jeans and sweater and into one of his t-shirts.

"That's pointless you know."

Ellie met his heated gaze in the mirror, "What is?"

"Putting that shirt on."

Cocking an eyebrow, she turned to face him. Her eyes perused his shirtless torso, stopping at top of his pajama pants which enticingly hung just passed his hips, "And why's that?" Her voice was suddenly dry.

Sirius tossed back the blankets on her side of the bed and beckoned her closer. Ellie approached, but did not join him. She stopped and stood at the edge of the bed. Sirius sat up. He moved over to her and sat so that she stood between his legs. Before she knew what was happening, Sirius had taken the edge of the shirt in his hands and whipped it over her head. Ellie stood naked before him. The lamp on the nightstand cast a glow on the left side of her body. Sirius's eyes drifted over her, taking in every inch of her curves.

"You're exquisite, love."

Despite not being one to blush, Ellie couldn't help the redness that crept into her cheeks. She looked shyly at Sirius through half-lidded eyes and bit her bottom lip. Sirius groaned. He grabbed her ass in both hands and drew her into his lap. With both knees on either side of his body, Ellie could feel his arousal straining through his thin pants. She took his head in her hands and placed a forceful kiss on his mouth while simultaneously rocking against him. Sirius thrust up to meet her. Ellie whimpered, frustrated at the barrier between them. As if reading her mind, Sirius stood with her still in his arms. She wrapped her legs around him as he fell back on the bed, this time with Ellie underneath him. Almost frantically, she pushed his pants past his hips. Sirius kicked then off just as Ellie wrapped her hands around his length. Moaning, he leaned forward to rest his head on her shoulder as she caressed him.

Soft kisses were placed on her neck. Ellie sighed, continuing to stroke Sirius while he lavished kisses on her. The moment she sped up he pulled away from her, "No, love. I want to be inside you." His voice was husky in her ear. Ellie legs squeezed him closer to her, pressing him to her center. Sirius let out a strained laugh, "So needy."

"Sirius," she whined before nipping at his lip.

Finally giving her what she wanted, he pushed Ellie's knees aside and slowly slid into her. Each gasped as he fully entered her. Ellie did her best to speed up her lover. Her heels pressed into his thighs; her arms were like a vice around his torso. But Sirius had other plans. Firmly, he pulled Ellie's arms from around him. He took both wrists in one hand and moved her arms above her head. When Ellie attempted to escape his grip, Sirius shifted deeper into her. The feel of him there was euphoric. A moan escaped Ellie, her eyes fluttered closed. Sirius began moving, his thrusts slow, but entirely fulfilling as his length slid nearly entirely out of her before being shoved back in to the hilt. Ellie opened her eyes. Sirius's face loomed in front of her. Sweat gathered at his brow, his mouth parted as gentle breaths blew against her lips. Pace unchanging, grey eyes met hers. It always amazed Ellie how Sirius could say he loved her through his eyes alone. He looked at her as if she were the only woman that mattered. In his eyes she saw the years he'd spent pursuing her, she saw their first date, their first kiss. She saw the good times and the bad. She saw their life together.

Still unable to move her arms, Ellie lifted her head and pressed her lips to Sirius's. They kissed like they were starved for one another. Each brush of lips and meeting of tongues coincided with a languid thrust of hips. Their orgasms took both of them by surprise. Ellie had just enough time to take one last deep inhale before her body tensed, all sense of time leaving her. Seconds later, minutes maybe, Sirius rolled off to her side. He gathered her to him despite the sweatiness of their bodies. Bathed in the light of the lamp, Ellie rested her head on his shoulder. Softly, she traced a finger up and down his chest.

"Mmmm," he muttered, "You'll put me to sleep doing that."

Ellie chuckled. Forcing her eyes open, she turned her head upwards to meet his stare, "So? The last time we were both in bed before midnight was...," she really couldn't remember.

"Too damn long," Sirius finished for her. Letting out a sigh he heaved himself into a sitting position and turned off the bedside light. He then settled back onto his side. Ellie rolled over onto her side as well so that she faced him. Both had their elbows bent in order to hold up their heads. Despite the darkness of the room, Ellie could faintly make out the features of Sirius's face. She lifted her hand, gently running it over his nose, his cheeks, his lips. The sudden feel of a finger on her hip caused her to squirm. Ellie felt Sirius smirk under her fingers as he gently traced her hip, seeming to remember exactly where her birthmark was.

"Why do you like that so much?" She whispered.

Sirius's brow furrowed, "I hadn't really thought about it before." Ellie saw his eyes roll at her expectant look, "I guess it's because it reminds me of the first night you let me in. Before then you'd away been on guard around me. I was fairly certain you hated my guts. And then it was like you'd tore away a section of the wall you'd built. You told me about this birthmark and how it separated you from Ariella. How it showed you were different. You told me about your family," Sirius rested his hand over the mark, "This little blemish helped us fall in love. Every time I see it I feel like I need to acknowledge that."

As he was speaking, Ellie eye's scanned his face. When he fell silent, she wrapped her hand around his neck and drew his lips to hers. Sirius rolled over Ellie and drew the sheets over them, unwilling to let the hard, bitterness of the outside world touch them. They made love until late in the night. Until all traces of reality were chased away.


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: When I began writing this story this scene is what initially came to mind. I've been waiting almost two years to write it. In the beginning, Ellie's story was going to start here. Things obviously changed since this is now chapter 33. Anywho, I was very excited to write it. If any of the names/places are incorrect please let me know. I tried to do some research but that only helps so much.

Thank you so much to all of my new followers and to everyone who has favorited this story. Enjoy!

* * *

**November 5, 1980**

Ellie had just spent all morning dealing with New Zealand's Ministry ambassador. He'd wanted to see every report pertaining to Voldemort in the past three years, and had also demanded access to Azkaban for the following day. Ellie spent three hours digging in department's filing room and two hours in a meeting with Barty Crouch and one of his assistants—surprisingly not Ari—for the ambassador to be appeased. She counted the morning as a win and left for lunch feeling refreshed.

Ellie exited the Ministry and made her way to her usual eatery. It was quaint café just a few minutes' walk down the road. She shed her wizard's robe, deciding to leave it at her desk in order to deter muggle attention. Her black trousers and loose green blouse allowed her to blend in. Mrs. Addis greeted her as soon as Ellie walked into the café. She was an elderly woman who'd started cooking fifty years ago and despite the arthritis and near blindness was still in business. Ellie took a seat at her usual table, thanking Mrs. Addis when she set a cup of tea and a ham sandwich in front of her.

Both were gone within minutes. Ellie pushed her plate to the side and set her attention towards the people walking about on the street. Unseemly though it may be, she devoted the majority of her lunch break to this activity. Over the past year she'd been able to make a few generalizations. Government officials typically traveled in groups, usually of two or three. More often than not, they were smiling, though Ellie could see the underlying stress in their features. This was vastly different than the lawyers, who had a tendency to walk around angrily. She had to assume they were late in taking their lunch. And then there were the tourists. Ellie thought them to be wonderful entertainment. It was a rare day when she didn't witness some collision of tourist and lawyer or tourist and politician.

Like now for instance. Ellie grinned as a grumpy looking man walking with his head down barreled into a brightly dressed man who was trying to walk with his camera held up to his eyes. Both men nearly went down, and words were exchanged—more so by the lawyer—before the angry man huffed away. Ellie snickered. All was right with the world.

Until it wasn't. She soon noticed that several people on the street were looking worriedly behind them. Once, twice, then turning and swiftly walking in the opposite direction. Then a low thud began to resonate in the café. The sound coming from the now frantically running people outside.

Her fellow café patrons seemed to realize this as she did. Everyone, including Ellie, slowly rose to their feet, food forgotten. They watched as mass of people who were moments ago absorbed in their own separates worlds began casting fearful looks behind them. Though she couldn't see from her current vantage point what had them so frightened, Ellie deduced by their screams that it was nothing good. She, along with several others inside the café, got closer to the window in an attempt to see more.

"What the hell?" The woman next to her muttered. Unfortunately, Ellie was all too familiar with the sight before her. Through the chaos of people running, she could faintly make out several figures cloaked all in black with distinguishable masks.

_Death Eaters._

Ellie dug in her pocket to retrieve her muggle money. After setting it down on the table, she immediately reached up her sleeve and slipped her wand from its holster. Shoving the rising fear back down her throat, Ellie raced out of the café. Her senses were immediately overwhelmed. The deafening sound of screams and hurried footballs bombarded her. She stumbled into a woman. Righting herself, Ellie resumed her course towards the Death Eaters.

Once she got closer she saw her fellow Order members attempting a counter attack. She spotted Remus dueling one Death Eater, his forward progression a good sign. Mad-Eye was nearby, up against two, though Ellie suspected the number could be double and he'd hardly break a sweat. She then noticed Sirius. His eyes caught hers right as he took a spell to the chest and was thrown backwards several feet.

Ellie raced towards him, "Stupefy!" she yelled. The Death Eater Sirius was battling crumbled to the ground. She reached Sirius as he rose to his feet. Ellie ran her eyes and hands over his body, checking for injuries.

"I'm fine, love," he said reassuringly.

"What's happening?" Ellie abandoned her search for injuries and began scanning the surrounding area.

"Near as we can tell Voldemort's making a move for the Prime Minister. The Death Eaters are a distraction. There are three groups of them. Me, Remus, and Mad-Eye have this lot. James is here too. And Dedalus. I'm not sure who else is covering the rest. We're out numbered though Els. The— "

"Shit!" Ellie yanked Sirius into a crouch. A red flash of light inches from his head. One of the Death Eaters Mad-Eye was dueling had turned his attention to them. The couple stood shoulder to shoulder. Wands raised, they attacked. When it became obvious that they had the upper hand, the Death Eater tucked tail and ran.

"This is too easy," Sirius muttered.

"The others must be taking on the majority of them somewhere else."

Sirius let out a breath and ran his hand though his hair. "James and his group are closer to the Palace of Westminster. I'd bet there are more over that way. Shit." He took Ellie's hands in his own, "We've got it covered her love. You need to find James."

She shook her head, "I'm not leaving you, Sirius."

Ellie leaned into his palm as it rose to cup her cheek, "I'll be fine. Go help James. I promise I'll find you as sure as we're sure it's all clear here." Sirius drew her face closer and gently kissed her lips, "Go," he whispered, "and be careful."

"I will," Ellie nodded, as she pulled away "I love you."

"I love you, too." Ellie let go of Sirius's hands. They held eye contact for a moment longer, neither willing to part. The sound of Mad-Eye calling for help forced Sirius to reenter the battle.

Ellie raced toward the muggle Parliament building. The streets were neatly empty now. The few curious muggles that had tried to see what was happening were quickly dissuaded from doing so by the sight of colorful sparks flying and people dropping dead for unknown reasons. So, the flash of movement Ellie spotted out of the corner of her eye was cause for investigation. Dressed in black, the figure darted down a nearby alley. Ellie paused to catch her breath before she began her pursuit. The robed person had unfortunately ran themselves into a dead-end. They stumbled over crates and bins before finally reaching the brick wall that blocked their escape. As the figure turned, Ellie came face to face with the silver of a Death Eater's mask. Wands now raised, they both squared off, each waiting for the other to strike first.

Ellie did the honors.

"Expulso!"

She missed her mark. Instead of hitting the rubbish-bin, the spell struck the building just next to it. A wall of bricks exploded, and the Death Eater disappeared under them. Ellie came to an abrupt halt. She scanned the alley for signs that the Death Eater had somehow gotten away. Her assessment was cut short by a low groan coming from under the bricks. She slowly approached the wreckage, wand raised. Feigning injury would be the perfect way for the enemy to surprise her. As she got closer, Ellie saw that the Death Eater's body was completely covered in debris and was so far unmoving. She inched closer, the sound of her slightly heeled work shoes echoing in the alley.

"Ellie?" A faint voice called out.

She knew that voice. But…no. That didn't make any sense. She was hearing things.

"Ellie…?" The voice persisted.

Ellie's breath left her. She raced over to the pile of bricks, falling to her knees she frantically heaved them from the crushed body. Within moments, a maskless face appeared. Tears already falling from her eyes, Ellie brushed a wisp of blonde hair away from the pale and bloodied face.

"Ari," She choked on her sister's name as it passed her lips. Blue eyes fluttered open. Ari's lips moved, but no words came out. Ellie settled herself by her twins' head, lifting it gently, she placed it in her lap, "You're going to be okay," she gently stroked her sister's cheek.

Ari opened her mouth again. This time, she managed to speak around labored breaths, "Need to...transfigure clothes. Dumbledore. Explain."

"Don't talk. I'll get these off an we'll get you to St. Mungos. It'll be okay." Ellie assured her as she reached forward to remove the bricks from her sister's abdomen.

"Stop."

"Quiet, Ari."

"Stop."

"Save your stre-,"

"Stop!" Ari said forcefully. She then began coughing, stopping only when red stained her lips and teeth. Ellie immediately went quiet.

Inhaling as best she could, Ari continued, "You need to...be me. _Switch. _Then...go to...Dumbledore."

"I don't understand!"

"Do it!" Blood began to leak from the corner of Ari's mouth, "Now, Estella," she whispered.

As Ellie removed the remainder of the rubble, her body shook with sobs. Ari was quiet, eyes closed, the faint rise and fall of her chest was barely discernable. Once, she'd freed her sister's body and saw the damage, Ellie collapsed to the ground. One of Ari's legs was grotesquely broken. The other was imbedded with glass shards from the window that had shattered as a result of the explosion. The shards continued up into Ari's torso, the largest of which was speared into her stomach.

"Clothes, Ellie."

Eyes blurred with tears, she forced herself to calm as she raised her wand. Ari's black Death Eater robes disappeared. In their place, a light green blouse and black trousers identically to Ellie's appeared. Red immediately began to stain the fabric, the glass in Ari's body having remained there despite the change of clothes. The robes had hidden the severity of her injuries, and Ellie only just now realized that her sister was seconds from dying.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Ari was silent.

Ellie looked down at her own blemish free clothing. Once more, she used her wand to transfigure the clothes, only this time, the loose fitting blouse and trousers became a suffocating robe. Heavy. Dark. Ellie could feel the evil represented in the garment.

"Hair," Ari's voice was so faint that Ellie almost didn't hear her. Ellie grasped her long, wavy hair in one hand and cut it to shoulder length with her wand in the other. She then charmed Ari's hair so that it grew to the length hers was seconds ago. After her task was completed, anyone who knew the twins would swear it was Ellie laying broken and bleeding and on the ground. Their parents. Friends. Sirius. Ellie pushed aside the sharp pain in her chest at the thought of him seeing Ari..._her_...like this. Despite this, a part of Ellie wished it was actually her on the ground.

"It's...okay." Ari's fingers twitched.

Ellie took her sister's hand in her own. Tears once again began to fall from her eyes, "It's not okay. I attacked you. My sister. _My_ _twin_. It's all my fault." The pain in her chest grew, the feeling similar to that of a knife cleaving into her body. Or glass.

"Dumbledore. Don't stop," Ari muttered, "Secret. _Be_ me."

"I will." She would do whatever Ari asked of her.

"I...love...you..."

Ellie bent down and rested her forehead against her sister's, "I love you too."

Ari's lips formed a smile. For one fleeting second she looked peaceful. Then she stilled.

Ellie wasn't sure how long she clung to Ari's body. Time had stopped. When she finally stood, her legs nearly gave out. Her entire body felt like it'd just been crushed. Her eyes felt like they'd been brushed with sandpaper. Ellie found herself willing her mind to go numb. But then she stopped. Ari was dead. She'd killed her. Murdered her. This pain was well deserved. Ellie would wear it close to her, under this horrid cloak that was one of the final connections she had to her sister.

She forced her legs to move and eventually made it back to the street. Glancing back, she said her final goodbye to Ari, vowing to her that she would finish whatever it was that she'd started. Her first stop was Dumbledore. Ellie got no more than one step from the alley before James and Sirius rounded the block. Both were panting heavily. Sirius had a long cut spanning diagonally from his hairline to his eyebrow. James was also injured, his left arm clutched tightly to his side.

The men skidded to a halt in front of her, wands raised.

"Ariella? What are you doing here?" Sirius asked. He found the answer to his question as he asked it. Ellie saw confusion immediately give way to anger at the sight of the mask in her hand that she didn't even remember picking up. Both he and James gripped their wands tighter.

"Hold her here," James said, "I'll go get Mad-Eye." When Sirius gave an affirming nod, James sprinted back down the street.

"Where is Ellie?" Sirius questioned her, wand steady. "I know she came this way. Death Eater or not, you wouldn't hurt your own sister."

Ellie would've laughed at the irony had she been able.

Sirius must have seen something in her expression. Horror lit his eyes as he quickly looked around. He glanced behind her into the alley. The look of his face would haunt Ellie's nightmares for years to come. As he took in the sight of what he thought was her broken body lying on the ground, her stomach lurched. But she couldn't tell him. Ari had told Ellie on her death bed to go immediately to Dumbledore. So even as Sirius's wand fell to the ground, even as he raced towards her sister's body, Ellie said nothing.

An agonized wail sounded from the alley.

She ran.

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A/N 2: Please don't hate me...review? Please?


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: This chapter is for kate3110! I had no plans to update today, but her review gave me just the motivation I needed. I hope you enjoy!

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**November 5, 1980**

It was half past ten at night when Ellie stumbled up to the gates of Hogwarts, her hair in disarray, her eyes bloodshot, and her hands still stained with her sister's blood. She knew it was late, far too late to be seeking an audience with Dumbledore, but she didn't really care. Couldn't care. All she knew was that she needed to see him. Now. Almost as if her mind was read, Professor McGonagall became visible, walking towards her on a path from the castle. The gates slowly creaked open as the Deputy Headmistress approached, eyes widening as she took in their visitor, covered in brick dust, blood, and shaking from the November chill.

"Merlin, child!" McGonagall exclaimed, "What's happened to you?"

Ellie remained silent. She brushed past the woman and began making her way towards the castle.

Once her old professor caught up, the duo walked together to the castle. Ellie let McGonagall lead her inside and to the Gargoyle statue that opened to reveal the staircase leading up to the Headmaster's office when given the password. They walked in silence up the stairs. They reached the door, and McGonagall knocked firmly, the sound echoing throughout the stairwell. Despite the lack of response from inside, it swung open.

Dumbledore sat at his desk, a myriad of books and parchment scattered about before him. At the moment, he seemed to be immersed in a document he was holding. After waiting in silence for a moment, he finally addressed them.

"We have discussed this, Ariella" he said without looking up from the parchment, "You are to use the Hog's Head passage in the event that you ever need to see me urgently. It is too dangerous for you to be wandering about the castle grounds. Should you be discovered it would draw too many questions."

Even in her numb state, Ellie was taken aback at the change in the Headmaster. As her Headmaster, he had always been warm, well-known for his calming voice and gentleness. As her leader in the Order he was near the same, only slightly more serious due to the nature of their tasks. This man though...this was man was far removed from the jolly Headmaster that had greeted her and her friends as first years. There was no signature twinkle in his eyes, no smile, only a hard stare as he observed her from his desk.

"Tell me," he said, finally looking up at her, "was it an accident?"

McGonagall looked back and forth between them, confused. When Ellie remained silent, eyes glued to the floor, she asked, "Was what an accident, Albus? What are you talking about?"

Dumbledore waved the parchment in his hand, "I received Alastor's report while you were fetching Miss Stroud. Luckily, the Order members we had tailing the Prime Minister were able to evacuate him to a safe location. Voldemort's mission failed. That said, Alastor has lost half of his nose and an eye, Remus is still unconscious, and Estella was killed."

Ellie winced at McGonagall's gasp. "How?" the professor asked.

Dumbledore's eyes bore into Ellie. Should he ever meet Voldemort, this look alone would be weapon enough against him. "She was crushed by a brick wall and stabbed in several places by glass shards. Sirius and James both claim to have seen Ariella running from the scene." He touched his finger tips together under his chin, "Was it an accident?"

Ellie finally drew her eyes up from the floor. She met Dumbledore's cool gaze with her own, trying her best to keep all emotion from her face, "Can you really not tell?" she asked.

Old and wizened eyes roamed over her. It was only a faint tick in his lips that gave Ellie any indication that he was surprised, "I see," he reclined in his chain, "Please, have a seat. Minerva, you are free to leave."

Several harrumphs and glares later, Dumbledore and Ellie sat alone in the office. The nearby fire warmed her, chasing away the chill that she wasn't even aware had enveloped her.

The Headmaster gazed at her from across the desk, sympathy having replaced suspicion.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

Ellie told him everything. She told him about how Ari was her best friend as a child. How Ari looked up to her. She then relived their separation through her narrative to him. Her sister had changed. She'd become a Death Eater. Evil. Even so, she'd also warned Ellie. Told her to abandon the Order. Stressed how dangerous it was.

And then she told him how she chased her fleeing sister down a dingy alley and killed her.

By the time she'd finished speaking, Ellie was crying once again and Dumbledore had placed a tumbler of fire-whiskey before her. She finished it in one gulp, the alcohol further warming her.

"Did Ariella tell you to come to me?" He asked.

Ellie nodded.

"Did she tell you why?"

"No. She...she couldn't speak very well."

Dumbledore was quiet for a long time.

"She was not a Death Eater," he finally said, "At least, not yet. The attack on the Prime Minister was an initiative of sorts. It was a failure, obviously, thanks to Ariella. She passed along information to me that allowed the Order to alert the Ministry and the Prime Minister. We've been looking after him for weeks."

Ellie had to force air back into her lungs. "Ari was working for you?"

"Your sister came to me in her seventh year, convinced that one of her classmates had attacked Mary McDonald. You remember Mary I trust?" Ellie nodded. Mary had been a good friend to her and Lily. At least until she was mysteriously attacked in the Astronomy Tower and was forced to leave Hogwarts. The girls hadn't heard from her since.

"Yes, well," Dumbledore continued, "Ariella claimed to have overheard one of her fellow Slytherins bragging about the attack. She expressed, vehemently I might add, a desire to see the student punished. However, my hands were tied. I couldn't take disciplinary action against a student without being one-hundred percent sure it was them. And the student denied it of course. We simply had no real evidence. Ariella was understandably upset. Still, she came to me from time to time with information. Nothing too groundbreaking, but helpful nonetheless. Once she graduated, I extended to her the same offer I gave you and your friends."

"You asked her to join the Order."

"I did. But your sister had a far better idea."

Ellie closed her eyes as his words hit her. When she opened them again, her glass was once more filled with fire-whiskey. She lifted the glass and sipped slowly, setting it down only when she was ready for the Headmaster to continue.

"Ariella had been planning to join the Death Eaters for a while. She based on her time in Slytherin that his followers were constantly boasting about their missions. She also had obtained all of the appropriate connections. Mr. Rosier above all others gave away more information to her than some of our best Aurors were able to gather. It was, i must admit, perfect."

Ellie scoffed, "Except for the fact that my sister was being used."

"Your sister knew the risks," Dumbledore's voice was firm, "She knew the danger and embraced it. She spent the last two years of her life dedicated to ending a war without the likelihood of ever living to see the end of it. Do not do her the disservice of assuming she was forced into anything."

Thoroughly put in her place, Ellie sipped her drink and contemplated the Headmaster's words. "So...everyone thinks I'm dead and that Ari is still alive?"

"I believe so."

She swirled the fire-whiskey in the glass, eyes fixed on the amber liquid. "Can we assume then that Voldemort also believes this?"

Dumbledore stilled, "I could not even tell until you drew my attention to it. Voldemort has probably only seen Ariella a handful of times. As she was not yet a Death Eater, she did not report directly to him.

"So, theoretically, I could take her place?"

"Theoretically...it is possible."

Ellie tossed back the rest of her fire-whiskey. Setting the empty glass down on the desk, she looked Dumbledore in the eyes, "I want to do it."

He was silent for a while after her proclamation. Ellie was worried she would be rejected.

"You are aware of the danger?" He finally asked, "You could be killed as soon as Voldemort sees you. An Auror could kill you. An Order member. Sirius."

Her breath caught. Fear made its way into her voice, "I know," she affirmed shakily. "I owe this to my sister, though. She didn't only tell me to find you, she told me to _switch_. This is what she wanted to happen. I killed her. At the very least I could finish the job she started."

Dumbledore observed her over half-moon spectacles, "It could be years before he is defeated. Are you prepared to assume Ariella's role for so long? You can tell no one. Not even those closest to you."

"I understand." She maintained composure even as her heart broke in two.

"Very well," the Headmaster sighed. "You should go to Narcissa Malfoy. Ariella was staying with her family. Be careful though. They were very close. If anyone could see through your act, it would be Narcissa."

Ellie nodded, "I can do this." She stood from her chair and made her way to the door. As she moved to open it, the sleeve of her outstretched arm drew back, exposing her bare forearm.

"Um, Professor Dumbledore?" Her confident voice already giving way to its shaky substitute, "You said Ari was being initiated after the attack today. Does that...does that mean she hadn't received her mark yet?"

"That is correct. The mark was the reward for the mission's success. Granted, it did fail. Though I'd be willing to bet Ariella would still receive hers for killing an Order member."

Ellie groaned and slammed her forehead against the wooden door. _Damn_!


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Life, ya know? I'd like to send a hugeeeee thank you to Lunaluvr95 who has agreed to Beta for me. Hopefully this will help keep me on a better update schedule.

This chapter is dedicated to the anonymous reviewer who wanted more! Hope you all enjoy and _please_ review!

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**November 6, 1980**

"Bloody hell, Ariella, where _have_ you been?" Narcissa hissed. She grabbed Ellie's arm and hauled her through the front door of Malfoy Manor. "Bella and the others got back nearly six _hours_ ago. I've been worried sick! Come into the drawing room and sit down. I'll get you fetch you a cup of tea."

Ellie wasn't really sure what to expect when she arrived at the Malfoy's home at one in the morning, but this was far from any expectation she'd had. Narcissa had thrown the door open looking like she'd been up all night. Of course, for her this only meant that she hadn't changed into her nightclothes. Her platinum hair and makeup were still holding perfectly. Ellie was led down the entrance hall, past generations of portraits, and into the darkly decorated drawing room. She took at seat in front of the marble fireplace at Narcissa's instruction and waited as her tea was fetched.

A few minutes later, Narcissa returned, thrusting a warm, ornately painted china cup into her hands. "You must tell me what happened. Bella says she saw you hex that Meadows woman and then take off around the corner. Surely you knew better than to leave the others? It's far too easy for the Order to pick you off if you get separated. You really mustn't be so reckless, Ariella."

Ellie blinked dumbly at the witch, tea untouched in her hands.

"Well? What happened?"

Shaking herself from her stupor, Ellie told her everything that had happened once she and Ari met in the alley. Narcissa listened intently, gasping when Ellie described seeing her sister's face staring up at her from the pile of bricks.

"Oh you poor dear," She left her seat in the chair opposite Ellie and joined her on the couch. "You mustn't blame yourself." Taking Ellie's hands in hers, she continued, "It was an accident. Besides you told Estella multiple times that being in the Order was too dangerous."

"I-I did? I mean, yes, I did."

Narcissa patted her hands, "It'll be alright. The others left a while ago, but you can stay here as long as you need. If you'd like, you can stay the night and I will accompany you to the funeral tomorrow."

At this, Ellie perked up, "Oh could we? I was hoping my parents had told you something. I'd feel terrible if I missed her funeral."

Narcissa looked at her like she had three heads. "'_Her_ funeral'? Do you mean Ellie's? Why on earth would we go to that? I was talking about Evan's."

"Evan? Who is-Oh yes. Yes, of course. My _fiance_." Ellie had completely forgotten about that little detail. _Wait_….She cast of surprised look at Narcissa, "He was killed?"

Narcissa clasped both hands over her mouth, "Oh, Merlin," she muttered, "Of course you wouldn't know. Oh dear. Um, Evan got caught up in a duel with Mad-Eye Moody. He gave a good show, the brave boy, took a piece of his nose. But Moody got in the last shot. I'm not really sure of all the specifics. I just know that Evan died at St. Mungos a short time after the battle."

"I see...and so we're going to his funeral tomorrow. Not my sister's."

"Darling, I don't even know when her Estella's funeral is. Besides, how do you think it would look if the woman who killed her attended? The Order would eat you alive."

Ellie had not retort to that.

Narcissa sighed, "I'll find out what I can. But you must _promise_ not to go. They all think you killed her on purpose, Ari, and for your sake, the Order and the Dark Lord need to keeping believing so."

"I understand." Ellie mumbled.

The now empty tea cup was gently pulled from her hands. "Come along. Let's get you set up in a spare room. I think you still have some night clothes here from the last time you stayed so you should feel right at home."

Ellie followed her host our of the drawing room. They continued up a flight up stairs off the main foyer. The corridors were dimly lit, the flickering shadows only adding to the overall unpleasantness of the manor. Narcissa stopped at a dark wood door. She turned the brass knob and open it to reveal a richly decorated bedroom.

"You go grab something to sleep in from the dresser. I'll turn down the bed."

Ellie pulled a pair of sleep pants and matching top from a drawer. The pajamas were grey silk. She immediately recognized them as Ari's. Ellie pressed her face into the material and inhaled.

"Are you going to keep smelling it or are you going to change?" Ellie's face reddened. She quickly slipped into the nightclothes, trying her best to keep her body hidden from Narcissa. She knew that Ari was very close to her, and it was likely Narcissa wouldn't miss the sudden appearance of a large birthmark on "Ari's" hip.

Once dressed, Ellie slipped under the sheets while Narcissa lit the fire. When she finished, she extinguished the candle on the nightstand. "All tucked in?" She patted the quilt by Ellie's feet. "Wonderful. Lucius will be gone until tomorrow afternoon, so don't worry about running into him in the morning. Just come find me when you wake up. We'll get you presentable again." She winked and made towards the door, disregarding Ellie's miffed expression.

"Goodnight, Ari."

"Goodnight, Narcissa."

The woman paused on her way out the door. "Narcissa? You haven't called me that in years."

Ellie's heart pounded in her chest. _I'm caught, It's over. I lasted all of two hours as Ari before I completely mucked everything up._

A chuckled came from the doorway, "Must've been hit in the head with one of those bricks." Narcissa-no, _Cissy, _smiled.

Ellie let out a relieved laugh, "Must've been."

"Sleep tight." The door closed with a click.

Ellie settled down into the mattress. Though it was certainly the most expensive bed she'd ever lain in, she couldn't see herself able to fall asleep anytime soon. The emptiness in the space next to her was overwhelming. It was the first night since she'd left Hogwarts that she was without Sirius.

Sleep would have been impossible had Narcissa not drugged her tea.

* * *

"Really, Cissy?" The nickname nearly chocked her. "A sleeping draught?" Ellie stormed into the woman's bedroom.

"Oh hush. It helped didn't it? You don't look nearly as dreadful as you did last night. Although…," Narcissa stepped back from the floor length mirror that she'd been inspecting her dress in, "You're hair is still _awful_. Merlin, Ari, it looks just like it did before I got my hands on it at school. Have you run out of cream?"

Terribly offended, Ellie's hands flew to her hair as she ran to the mirror Narcissa had just abandoned. She had always known that Ari's hair regime far surpassed hers, but her hair wasn't _awful_!

Ellie was suddenly pushed from the bedroom and into the bathroom. "Sit", Narcissa demanded. Ellie found herself falling into a chair in front of a large vanity. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and withheld a scream. This mirror, unlike the larger one in the bedroom, had been spelled to show every blemish and imperfection its user had. Her skin was pale and lifeless, her hair a frizzy mess, even her eyes seemed to have dulled.

_I've become a goblin. _

Before she had time to further torment herself over her appearance, Narcissa's cream filled hands came down on her head. The stuff must have been made of virgin's blood and infants toenails, because its effect was immediate. The frizzy and lackluster hair became lush, vibrant curls. Just like Ari's had been. Ellie started at herself in the terrible mirror. It was the first time since she'd taken Ari's place that she felt this hairbrained plan could actually work. She smiled at the thought.

"Ah, there we are," Narcissa's eyes met hers, "Amazing what work a simple product can do, isn't it?"

"You've no idea." Ellie grinned.

Narcissa clapped her hands, "Onto your face now. I've got just the-!" She was cut off by a high pitched wail coming from down the hall. "Bloody hell. He was supposed to sleep for another hour-at least. Dobby! Get Draco!"

_Draco_?

The witch refocused her attention on Ellie's face. Within minutes, she looked like any other pure-blood witch-_fake. _

"There now," Narcissa pulled back to study her work, "Good as new. Ah! And just in time. Bring him here elf!"

Ellie withheld a flinch as a pitiful looking house elf approached with a swaddled baby in its arms. A tuff of nearly white blonde hair stuck out from above the blanket. _This must be Draco_, she thought. The boy was about Harry's age, only a few months old. The bundle moved and the blanket slipped down to reveal grey eyes looking straight at her. Little arms forced themselves from the blanket and stretched out towards her. Ellie found herself unable to move.

His mother scoffed, "Merlin Ari, you act as if you've never seen him before. You know he loves you. What's the poor boy going to think if his own godmother won't hold him?"

_Godmother?!_

Oblivious to Ellie's internal predicament, the woman continued, "I'm going to go pull you some clothes from my wardrobe. Hold Draco, would you?"

Slowly, Ellie reached out to take the baby from the house elf's arms. As far as babies went, she had to admit her was adorable. He'd grow up to be a heartbreaker. _Like Harry. _Unlike his mother, little Draco seemed to understand perfectly that she was experiencing an emotional upheaval. His hand extended towards her, tiny fingers curled around her hair. As much as she wanted to hate the Malfoy's, both Narcissa and Draco had welcomed her with open arms. Granted, they did think she was Ariella. Ellie ran a finger over the child's cheek. Her touch was met with a toothless grin, so endearing it immediately triggered her own smile. Realizing she'd just fallen in love with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy's son, Ellie heaved a sigh, tucked Draco over her shoulder, and left the bathroom to find his mother.

Several minutes later they'd all assembled in the foyer. Narcissa was giving the house-elf a few last minute instructions regarding Draco. Ellie considered the woman who had treated her so kindly last night, well, except for drugging her. But she would look over that. Oddly enough, Ellie found herself respecting Narcissa. It was obvious that she wasn't as cold as she tried to portray herself to be. At the same time, her steely attitude is what kept her safe, much like her pure-blood status and the clothes she wore. Ellie was quickly realizing that she would need to put on this same armour if she were to survive this new world she'd been thrust into. Already she felt different. Her form fitting silk black dress was not something she would ever dream of wearing. Ellie was more inclined to don a sweater and comfortable trousers. While she had initially felt uncomfortable in the dress and its matching heels and elbow length gloves, the awkwardness had disappeared when she'd looked into the mirror and seen Ari staring back at her.

"Are you ready, then?" Narcissa asked while she fixed a wide brimmed hat to her head.

Nodding, Ellie put on her own pillbox hat and dress the mesh veil over her face. Resolved, she straightened her posture and stared dispassionately at Narcissa who grinned and said, "Wonderful."


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: Thanks to Kate3110 for the review! Ellie's life is definitely going to be a lot different and more complicated from here on out.

Here's another update on the heels of the last one because I just looooove reviews. More reviews=quicker updates so please either tell me what you think or drop a comment!

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**November 7, 1980**

Ellie only lasted fifteen minutes at Evan Rosier's funeral.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the endless stream of sympathizers that prompted her departure, nor was it the vast number of purebloods in attendance. No, what caused Ellie to storm out of Mr. and Mrs. Rosier's manor just minutes before the eulogy was the unexpected arrival of her parents.

She'd heard her mother long before she'd laid eyes on the woman. From her position next to the casket, the unmistakable shrill voice of Lorella Stroud had permeated her ears. Ellie hardly had time to wipe the horror from her face before the petite witch was in front of her, cerulean eyes seemingly staring into Ellie's soul.

Later, Ellie would swear her mother hesitated as she approached. She would swear that there had been some recognition in her eyes. Some doubt that this was the right daughter. There simply was no way a mother would mistake one of her children for the other; twins or not.

"Ariella, darling, you must be devastated."

Apparently not.

Thin arms clad in black and the overwhelming smell of roses enveloped Ellie. It took everything in her not to flinch as her mother hugged her, and even more effort when her father appeared and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Go over and talk to that Dolohov fellow, poppet. I hear he did well during the mission yesterday."

Ellie fought back a gag. Was this what Ari had dealt with? Father pressuring her to "talk" to Death Eaters?

Luckily, her mother spoke up. "It's far too soon, Mervyn. Everyone will think she's a harlot,"

Thank you, Mother.

Lorella turned to her daughter, "You'll approach him after tomorrow's meeting. He'd be a fool not to accept an offer from one with blood as pure as yours. And so dedicated to the cause too."

Ellie turned heel and left the room, the sound of offended socialites following her all the way to the door and out of the manor.

"Ari!" Ellie stopped at the sound of heels clicking on the stone steps behind her. Narissa, looking as harried as she'd ever seen her, had followed her. "Where in Merlin's name are you going?" she hissed.

"Away from here," Ellie spat back with just as much vehemence. "I can't be around these people a moment longer."

Narcissa's cold hand gripped her arm, "_These_ people are your friends. Your _family_," she scoffed. "They would have your back through anything, yet you treat them as if they were scum."

Abashed, Ellie averted her eyes, "I didn't mean it like that," she muttered.

"Then how did you mean it?" Narcissa asked, finally relinquishing her grip on Ellie's arm.

"I just...this isn't where I'm supposed to be. Not right now at least."

Narcissa turned her attention to her wide brimmed hat. She fiddled with the large bow on the front and adjusted it on her head. If Ellie didn't know the witch any better-or at all-she'd have to say the she was nervous.

"I may have happened to hear a...rumor...that Estella's funeral began at eleven. I know it's a bit late now...but you might be able to catch the end of it."

Ellie stared wide-eyed at her newest and most unexpected friend, "Where?"

Narcissa rolled her eyes, "Honestly, Ari. This is a terrible idea."

"_Where_?"

"McGonagall apparently owns a house in Moray. They're holding it there."

Ellie let out a relieved breath, "Thank you."

Narcissa glared at her, "Don't thank me. If I go back in there and make _your _excuses, you owe me, Ari."

She narrowed her own eyes, "And what exactly will my repayment be?"

"Hmmm….Do you remember that lemon tart you made last Christmas?"

"Erm, yes?"

"You'll show me how to make it."

_Shit_! "Fine."

"Fine?" Narcissa looked at her incredulously, "I've asked you no less than a dozen times for the recipe and you insist it's a secret."

"It is...was." Ellie stammered, "It was a secret between Ellie and me. I...I doubt she'll mind me sharing if it means I can go to her funeral."

She could feel Narcissa regarding her. It would had unnerved her, had the prospect of _baking _not done that already.

"Very well." The witch finally said. "You'll have to Disapparate closer to the road. There's a charm on the house preventing it." Ellie started when Narcissa wrapped her in a tight hug. A warm breath brushed her ear. "Do _not _forget to be back at the manor for this evening. You know how he hates tardiness."

Without another word or glance she released Ellie and walked back into the house.

* * *

Ellie stood on the cobblestone street, staring at the modest house she was trying to talk herself into entering. It was quaint; a light beige colour with dark green shutters and a matching front door. There was no audible noise coming from inside, likely the nature of the gathering played some part in this. Going inside would be foolish, she knew. Everyone here was well aware that she was responsible for her sister's death. She stood in front of the house for several more minutes, her heart beating rapidly.

Suddenly, a commotion sounded from the garden. The sound of china breaking and chairs overturning caused her curiosity to outweigh her fear, Ellie bypassed the front door in favor of the white gate on the side of the house. She made her way to the noise, sticking close to the side of the house and out of sight.

"Sirius! _Sirius_!" James's voice yelled, "Calm down!"

"I have to check!" The sound of Sirius's hoarse and disparaging voice was very nearly her undoing. Ellie raised a shaking hand to cover her mouth and quiet her gasp.

"She's already been buried, mate. There's nothing we can do!"

"_Un_-bury her!" His command was met with silence. Ellie continued forward, peering over a shrub in order to see what was going on.

By the look of things, the gathering had been very intimate. Less than a dozen people were in attendance, likely having left after the burial. Ellie felt a brief moment of sorrow at having realized she'd not get another chance to say goodbye to Ari. This feeling passed, though, when she caught sight of Sirius. He was kneeling on the ground, head clasped in his hands. He still wore his clothes from yesterday, and he very clearly had not bathed. Matted hair framed a too gaunt face. Ellie felt as though she were looking at a corpse.

The sound of crying drew her gaze from Sirius. Lily was sitting on a bench, Remus's arms wrapped around her as she sobbed, tears running down his own face. Peter stood next to McGonagall, he looking down into a clear and empty glass and she looking upon Sirius pitifully. Dumbledore and James were both hovering near Sirius. Ellie suspected they were prepared to take the necessary measures should he attempt to exhume Ari/Ellie's body.

_Why on earth would he want to do that_, she wondered.

"Perhaps we should humor him. Give the poor lad some piece of mind," Dedalus Diggle suggested.

"Dig her up over a birthmark? Don't be ridiculous. If it wasn't Estella then her sister would have said something." Emmaline Vance retorted.

"She was too busy running away."

"Exactly! If Estella wasn't the one killed, why would she have run? I doesn't make sense." Many eavesdroppers on the argument seemed to agree with Emmaline, though Dedalus still stood by his earlier statement.

"It still wouldn't hurt to make sure," he insisted.

During the whole conversation, Ellie felt as her heart beat harder and harder, until she feared it would burst from her chest. _Her birthmark. _She'd completely forgotten about it when trying to make Ari look like her. And now they were going to dig up her poor sister's body, realize it wasn't Ellie, and Ari's death would be in vain. Ellie would die herself before she let that happen. She gathered her wits, took a deep breath, and prayed she was skilled enough to do what needed to be done.

Stepping from behind the bush that had concealed her, Ellie walked over to Sirius. "Perhaps I can put your mind at ease."

There was no movement for several seconds. Everyone seemed stunned that she had appeared. It was after a moment, though, that James and Frank Longbottom rushed her. Frank pinned her arms behind her back while James fished her wand out of her pocket. Luckily, the only difference between Ari's wand and hers was that Ellie's core was unicorn hair while Ari's was dragon heartstring. They were otherwise nearly exactly the same. James took her wand and stepped back to stand next to Sirius. Along with everyone else, they pointed their wands at her.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius hissed.

"I merely wanted to say my goodbyes. Surely you wouldn't withhold that right from me." Ellie would have patted herself on the back had her arms been free. Her voice hadn't shaken at all.

James looked at her with contempt, "That was extremely foolish of you, Stroud. We all know what happened."

"Fool. You know _nothing_."

"I know enough."

Ellie forced a smirk, "Ah, but not enough to warrant the Aurors to come after me. You didn't see what happened. There's. No. Proof."

"You're a murderous bitch." Lily spat at her, tears still streaking her face.

Ellie's heart broke in half. The vehemence with which Lily spoke cracked it, but the truth in her words finished the job. She _was _a murderer. Knowing she needed to respond, Ellie gave her best attempt to sound like Ari when she was playing her pureblood Death Eater role.

"How's the baby? Harry isn't it? I hope you have someone looking after him. It would be such a shame to lose him so young due to carelessness." She really should have expected the slap. Lily before motherhood had a temper, but Lily as a mother was not to be baited. Ellie hung her head, trying to keep the tears at bay.

The sound of Sirius's cracking voice forced her eyes back up.

"Tell me you're not her. Look me in the eyes and tell me you aren't my Ellie." His eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. She had never seen Sirius look so broken. Not even when Regulus died.

Blue met grey, and Ellie forced out the lie, "I am Ariella Stroud. Estella is dead. If you need any further proof, check my right hip."

Sirius shattered before her eyes. He crumpled to the ground even as James stepped forward to lift up the hem of her blouse. Ellie had never tried wandless magic, and so she prayed that the Vanishing spell she was mentally casting would work. She felt a cool breeze on her hip, and the look on James's face was evidence enough that her spell had been successful.

"I told you," she muttered. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend." Before anyone could react, Ellie threw her head against Frank's face as she called wordlessly for her wand. Free from her captor and wand in hand, she ran back through the white gate and towards the road. Just as she reached her mark, James's hand reached for her, grasping nothing but air as she Disapparated.


	37. Chapter 37

Ellie arrived back at Malfoy manor early in the evening after her disastrous trip to Ellie's funeral. To her surprise-and disdain-she entered the drawing room to find Narcissa perched on the arm of a chair occupied by Lucius Malfoy, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange immersed in a game of Exploding Snap at a small table by the window, Avery and Mulciber chatting on the couch whilst sipping tea, and Severus Snape brooding by the fire.

"Ari!" Avery exclaimed as she tentatively entered the room. He stood at her approach and embraced her, the force of his hug causing a squeak to escape her.

"Merlin, mate. You're going to break the wee thing." Mulciber admonished. "Just sock 'im lass. Right in the nads."

Avery released her quickly. "Aww I'm just happy to see you, Ari. Narcissa had us worried sick after you left today."

"Speak for yourself," Rabastan muttered, gaze never wavering from his cards.

A deep sigh emanated from her left, causing Ellie to turn toward the source. Lucius, who was reclining with an arm draped loosely around Narcissa's waist, addressed her. "What Rabastan means to say, is that the next time you must rush to St. Mungo's for such matters, please refrain from doing so in the middle of you dead fiancé's funeral."

Ellie was speechless for all of about two seconds. Livid, she hissed at Narcissa, "You told them?"

The witch considered her nails as Ellie stewed. When she was finally satisfied with their appearance, she smirked. "I didn't see any reason to lie. We're all friends here, Ari."

Abandoning his position by the fire, Snape approached Ellie with an outstretched hand, a small vial of blue liquid in his palm. "Take two teaspoons every morning for a week. It'll help with the cramps." Though his expression appeared as stoic as she'd ever seen it, Ellie noticed a hint of mirth behind Snape's words. He thrust the vial closer to her and smirked when she ripped it from his hand, glaring all the while.

"What _exactly _did you tell them?" Ellie gritted out.

Avery threw an arm over her shoulder, "Honestly, Ari. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm sure many witches have such a terrible, erm _cycle_, that they are forced to seek professional care. Just a day in the life, yeah?"

Ellie closed her eyes in horror, "Cissy," she said angrily, "Did you tell everyone I had to leave because of my _period_?"

Mulciber, Avery, Rabastan and Rodolphus fell into outright laughter, while Lucius and Snape smirked discreetly. Narcissa at least had the decency to maintain an indifferent expression, though like Snape, it was clear she found the whole thing quite humorous.

''Well what other reason would you have to leave so abruptly, darling?" She inquired.

"I can think of literally one hundred other excuses."

"Ah yes. But the truth is always best don't you think?" Narcissa's eyes twinkled.

Ellie stammered over her words, trying desperately to come up with some retort, but was cut short when a crystal skull on the coffee table started wailing.

"What the bloody hell is that?" She exclaimed, hands clasped tightly over her ears.

Lucius looked at her strangely, "The baby monitor, of course. Draco's sleeping upstairs."

"He _was_ sleeping." Narcissa bemoaned as she stood from the chair. She bent down to place a kiss on her husband's forehead. "I'll be right back."

As soon as she exited the room, a silence settled over the group. Ellie meandered uncomfortably over to the couch were she sat in-between Avery and Mulciber at the former's insistence. She fidgeted silently for a few minutes, after which the feeling of being watched caused her to look up. Six pairs of eyes were trained on her.

"What?" She asked defensively.

"Are you prepared?" Rodolphus asked quietly.

Ellie gulped, "For what?"

Lucius was the one to answer her. "When you arrive tonight, go directly into the dining room adjacent to the parlor. You are to sit at the far end of the table. Place yourself as far away from the Dark Lord as you can. He will view any other location as insolence. Likely, he will call for dinner and begin the meeting only when it has concluded. He will go over the events of yesterday extensively. Then, he'll start calling candidates forward." Lucius leaned forward in his chair. "Rosier should have been the one explaining this to you. I am sorry he is not here to offer assistance." Ellie could do nothing but nod.

"Be prepared for his ire, girl." Rabastan said. "The mission yesterday failed. You did good taking out one of the Order's, but he will not be pleased at the overall outcome."

"You should still get your Mark, though." Mulciber attempted to mollify her. As if receiving the Mark was a _gift_. "You and Severus both performed very well."

Ellie glance over to Snape, who was back staring into the fire. Any semblance of humor was gone. Tension now seeped from him.

"Will it hurt?" She asked no one in particular.

"Yes." Someone answered.

_Wonderful._

* * *

She was going to be sick.

Really.

Any moment now.

"Good lord, lass. Take a swig of this and calm yourself. You're damn near making my own head spin."

Ellie gripped the proffered flask and raised it to her lips. She didn't allow herself to hesitate before she tossed back a swig of what she suspected to be alcohol. The burning in her throat confirmed her suspicion.

Chocking, but already feeling much better, she whispered to her companion, "What the bloody hell was that?"

"Whiskey." Ellie considered the flask for a moment before she gulped down the remaining contents. If Voldemort killed her, she'd rather be drunk when he did it.

"Take that away from her," Lucius's voice called from ahead. "She can hardly walk straight as it is. Honestly, Ariella, I thought you had more backbone than this."

"I'd like to see you try walking in a dress this tight," she shot back.

Narcissa had retrieved the rest of Ellie's—well technically Ari's—clothes from her parent's after leaving Rosier's funeral. Everything was neatly put away in her room at Malfoy manor. She had stood in front of the wardrobe for what felt like an hour trying to figure out what one wore to a Death Eater gathering, when Narcissa barged in and began laying out clothes. A few minutes later Ellie was dressed in a black floor-length lace dress, deep green dragonhide corset, knee-length black boots, and her sister's cloak. Narcissa had fought her blonde hair into a simple braid that she then wrapped into a bun just above Ellie's neck and declared her good to go.

Never in a million years did you think she'd ever be sad to leave Narcissa Malfoy behind. Yet here she was, walking towards a large, dark, and ominous manor with her rag-tag group of Death Eater comrades.

The group finally arrive at the front door. Rodolphus raised a hand to knock, but the heavy oak door swung open before he could. They entered, Ellie bringing up the rear and seriously considering hauling ass back down the pathway. As if reading her mind, Snape gripped her elbow and pulled her alongside him, ignoring her glare as he did so. Much sooner than she'd have liked, Ellie found herself guided into a chair. She looked around the dark mahogany table at the various Death Eaters already seated. Avery and Mulciber sat on either side of her, their fathers closer to the other end of the table. Snape and Lucius took the seats opposite her. Both Rodolphus and Rabastan were very near the seat which would be occupied by Voldemort, Bellatraix sat next to her husband. Ellie had some notion of arranged pureblood marriages and it was clear theirs was as political as one could get. Besides Dolohov and Yaxly-whose house the meeting was being held in-there were a few others present, all of whom were her parents age and none of whom she knew.

They all sat in silence until a cloaked figure entered the room. He was dressed entirely in black, the cloak and hood completely concealing his features. Everyone stood quickly to their feet until he was seated. Ellie couldn't help but stare as she sat back down and Voldemort pulled back his hood. It took everything in her not go gasp. His eyes were red slits against a too pale face. His cheeks were sunken and his nose was snakelike. The effects of the Dark Arts on Voldemort was more than obvious.

No one spoke as platters of food appeared on the table. They ate quietly. Ellie piled food on her plate, but was unable to eat under Voldemort's blatant scrutiny. It continued this way for several minutes, until nearly all of the food was eaten and dessert was served. Right when the Death Eaters began digging into their cakes and pastries, Voldemort spoke.

"There are several reasons why I have gathered you here today." His voice was much higher than she'd thought. "As you are all aware, our mission earlier this week acted as an initiation for several of our prospects. Of the eight participating, two died, three were taken to Azkaban, and one ran. Please be assured that Dolohov is in the process of locating our deserter." The wizard in question nodded his head. "Only two of the eight made it here with us tonight. Severus will be go on assignment with Lucius this weekend. His fate will be decided then. And the other...Ariella...come here."

Ellie gently placed her fork next to her untouched plate and slid her chair back, the sound of the legs against wood floors the only noise in the room. She stood shakily to her feet. As she walked over to the head of the table Ellie could feel the gaze of each Death Eater on her. She met eyes with Avery, who covertly smiled at her, and Lucius, who gave her a nod. All too soon she found herself standing a foot away from Voldemort.

"Hold out your arm."

Ellie did so. Palm down.

"Fool." Voldemort spat, "The other way."

Ah. Right to it then.

Palm now facing the ceiling, Ellie shivered as a cold, claw-like hand gripped her wrist. She watch Voldemort pulled his wand from his robes and place it against her wrist. And then pain. It burned like dragon fire on her skin. In her haze of pain, she saw the skull and snake form. She could feel every twist of the snake like a lash across her wrist. After what seemed like an eternity, she was released. Ellie let out a relieved gasp as she staggered back only to be stopped by a hard body at her back. Two hands rose to grip her shoulder, firm enough to let her know movement on her part would be unwise.

"Yaxly tells me you killed your sister. Your twin. Is this true?" Voldemort hissed.

"It is."

"Tell me."

So Ellie told him everything. She fed him the same story she had told Narcissa, feeling him probe her mind during the entire recantation. Seemingly approving of what he found there, and convinced she was telling the truth-which she basically was-he nodded.

"As impressed as I was with your…dedication…to our cause, I must confess some disappointment. Was the Prime Minister captured, Ariella?" Voldemort's

"No, my Lord," she whispered. _Please no. No, no, no_.

"Was he killed."

"…No, my Lord." He was going to kill her. The bastard had marked her, and now he was going to kill her.

"So, your mission failed?" _Jackass._

"Yes. My Lord."

During the entire conversation, Ellie had kept her eyes glued to the ground. She was startled to suddenly see two chalk white feet enter her peripheral. As they did so, an unnaturally long finer coaxed her chin up, and Ellie was forced to meet the eyes of her new _master_.

She'd thought he was terrifying from across the room, but close up he was horrifying. Ellie knew immediately that these blood red eyes would be the main feature of her nightmares for the rest of her life. As he searched her own eyes, Ellie understood that to show fear would be to show weakness. Ellie may be weak, but Ari hadn't been, and if she was going to convince these people she was her sister, Ellie needed to show no weakness. No fear. So as the cold finger left her face she stared into crimson slits with a neural face. As a spider-like hand raise a wand against her, she counted.

Three.

She inhaled.

Two.

She exhaled.

One.

She smiled.

"_Crucio_."


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: So sorry about the delay. Don't hate me!

**December 24, 1980**

Ellie typically enjoyed Christmas. Ever since Lily had come into her life the holiday had improved drastically from the forced family affair her parents had subjected her to. With Lily there were presents and decorations and warm fuzzy feelings of friendship and belonging. With her parents there had been frilly outfits and rules and, well, no presents except for what she and Ari would exchange late at night after everyone else had gone to bed. Every year there was a huge party on Christmas Eve hosted by one of the more predominant Pureblood families. Usually it was either the Blacks or the Malfoys, though Ellie's parents had hosted themselves a time or two. Those were the worst Christmases.

When she became close with the Marauders and Lily, she had hoped there would be no more balls. No more useless primping or elaborate outfits. No more long hours spent surrounded by so many people while feeling like she was the only person in the room. Apparently this was too much to wish for.

After much arguing with her in-laws and crocodile tears in the presence of her husband, Narcissa Malfoy had finally been granted permission to host this year's Christmas Ball. She'd received the official letter two weeks ago and since then had been nearly impossible to deal with-not that she was particularly easy to get along with to begin with. Also, Ellie had somehow been roped into assisting Narcissa in her planning despite the fact that the only experience she had in hosting was Lily's parents' funeral. Not exactly party planning resume material. By the time Christmas Eve finally came around Ellie was exhausted, missing her friends immensely and one poinsettia centerpiece away from tearing out her hair-or Narissa's.

The majority of the event would taken place in the Malfoy's ballroom, with twelve tables surrounding a dance floor. Narcissa had arranged for a twelve piece orchestra to play throughout the evening. Supposedly it was some well-known group that charged an exorbitant fee but was, as it was explained to Ellie, well worth it. The Christmas cake stood nearly as tall as a grown man. If every guest ate three pieces there would still enough to share with every child enrolled at Hogwarts. And finally, the coup de gras, the main star of the "next generation" Malfoy Christmas Ball...the Tree. It was twenty feet tall with red ornaments of varying shapes and sizes covering the evergreen branches. Gold streamers swirled up towards a luminous golden angel, caroling from her place at the very top of the tree.

It was one hour before the guests were due to arrive and the tree had just fallen over for the second time.

"No, no, no!" Narcissa shrieked as she stormed over to survey the damage. The tree had taken out two tables and one member of the wait staff. Once it was set right again, Narcissa turned her attention to Ellie, who had stopped for a break after decorating the tables.

"Why aren't you dressed yet, Estella?" Her tone was deceptively calm.

"I-I was helping with the centerpieces."

Nacrissa scoffed, "And that took you two hours?"

Ellie chose her next words very carefully, "You wanted a lot of shit on the tables, Cissy."

The speed at which Narcissa's face turned red and the depth of the color rivaled that of Lily's. "Go. Get. Dressed."

Ellie hastily walked into the foyer and made her way up the stair towards her room. As she passed Draco's room, she peeked in and saw Lucius sitting in a rocking chair with Draco in one arm and a glass of scotch in the other. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Lucius in his formal robes hiding in his son's room.

"Don't judge me, Estella," he said with his head back and eyes closed. "You've only been here for two months. I've lived with her for two years."

* * *

Ellie stared out the large bay window into the blackness outside. Specks of snow landed on the window, still falling rapidly despite the several feet of it already on the ground. She pressed her hand against the window, feeling the chill of winter against her palm and wishing for the first time in her life that she could escape the warmth of the indoors for the bite of the cold outside. Unfortunately, stealing away to the garden in the middle of the Malfoys' Christmas Ball would cause a scene, and Ellie was fairly certain Narcissa would murder her if she were responsible for one. Besides, as Lucius and Narcissa's current roommate, she was nearly a host herself. This, combined with her newly single status after the death of Rosier, made her extremely sought after. Already she had conversed with Narcissa's parents, half of Lucius's co-workers, most of the Death Eater in attendance (which overlapped with Lucius's associates), and every male in a twenty mile radius between the ages of seventeen and thirty-five. If ever there were a time when a random hole in which she could jump into were to appear, now would be most appreciated.

"Thinking of running, pet?"

The reflection of Bellatrix Lestrange appeared next to Ellie's in the window. Her hair was up in an elegant bun, a few dark curls framing her face. Dark red lips stood out against an otherwise colorless reflection. Her black formal dress also contrasted nicely against her porcelain skin. Ellie had to admit that Bellatrix would be gorgeous if not for the madness in her eyes.

Thin arms wrapped around Ellie's middle, careful to avoid the beaded sash of her dress. The silver A-line gown with its sheer back and beaded off-the-shoulder sleeves was a "gift" from her parents. Just two months ago she would have loved it. Would have loved showing it off to Sirius. Loved the feel of the satin material sliding down her body as he undid the buttons at the back. He would have kissed her spine as it was revealed to him. Kissed her everywhere else once the dress was completely off. Now, the feel of the material against her skin and the plunge of the neckline made her sick. Ellie had the sinking suspicion that it was part of her parents' underhanded attempt to get her another suitor. And it was clearly working.

Bellatrix tutted in her ear, her pointed chin digging into Ellie's shoulder, "You must stop sulking, darling. It's unbecoming of a woman of your blood. Besides, there are far uglier men than the Crouch boy."

Barty Crouch, Jr. was a very pretty man. Too bad he had the same madness in his eyes as Bellatrix. "I'm not sulking, Bella. I'm just tired of being propositioned every five minutes."

"Hm. You could just hex them."

A chuckle escaped Ellie, "Is that what you do?"

"Did. Funnily enough, if you crucio your admirers enough they lose interest."

"I can't imagine why." Bellatrix removed her head from Ellie's shoulder and raked her gaze over the witch. Ellie tried to remain still, despite the chill that ran up her spine.

She startled when Bellatrix suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. Flipping it over, the witch ran a sharp nail over the Dark Mark found there. "You know," she mumbled as she caressed the mark, "you and I are the only two women to receive one of these. The Dark Lord has deemed us worthy of them. Me, I understand, but you…." She trailed off and returned her gaze to Ellie. "I have no idea what he sees in you. Weak. Shy. I'd even wager that the death of your sister was an accident. You know nothing of the Dark Arts."

Ellie tried and failed to calm her heart which was now about to burst out of her chest. The next words out of her mouth were a result of sheer desperation and fear. "Then teach me."

The surprise on Bellatrix's face must have echoed on Ellie's because she barked out a laugh. "You think I would waste my time on you? I like you, dear, I do. But don't be silly."

Despite the fact that spending time with Bellatrix was the absolute last thing Ellie wanted to do, she now had to save face. "I just figured you wouldn't want me to embarrass you. With us being the only women and all, I figure we have something to prove. Besides, if the Dark Lord sees something in me, don't you think he'd appreciate your mentoring me?" Shut. Up. Ellie.

Bellatrix's mocking expression turned contemplative. Ellie could practically see the gears turning in her head.

"Ariella!" Narcissa suddenly called from several yards away.

"You're being summoned, pet." Bellatrix said. She then grasped her wrist once more and yanked Ellie towards her, "I'll be back Tuesday evening at half past ten. Don't expect me to go easy on you."

With that said, she left Ellie standing alone by the window.

Narcissa took her place, one eyebrow raised. "What was that about?"

Ellie rolled her eyes, "Taking my measure, I suppose. You know Bella."

"Hm. She did like you better when you were more…unassuming."

"She agreed to mentor me."

Narcissa's eyes widened. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. She's insane."

"Thanks, Cissy."

* * *

A/N 2: Please, please, please review!


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: Just another two chapters and then Part 1 is finished! I'm going to try and get both of those up in the next week so I can start Part 2! Please review/comment/show me you care. Please.

**February 1981**

Assuming Ari's job at the Ministry was bittersweet. In any other circumstances she would be overjoyed at landing a job with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Right after leaving Hogwarts she'd found out her own NEWT scores hadn't been high enough for her to become an Auror, so she'd had to settle for working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. The hours had been long and the pay laughable. Ellie would go home at night dreaming about one day being the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a team of Aurors working directly under her, and never having to file anything ever again. So, when New Years had passed and it was finally time for her to return to work, Ellie was conflicted. On one hand, it was very near the job she'd initially wanted after leaving Hogwarts. On the other, the only reason she had the job was because she'd killed her sister. Barty Crouch, Sr. would call that "integrity". Incidentally, so would his son.

Her new job was fairly easy to ease into. It was mainly appointment scheduling and filing with a splash of note taking. There were even a few perks, like getting to sit in on criminal hearings and weekly visits to Azkaban. The hardest part was dealing with Crouch, Sr. on a daily basis. The man wasn't quite mad like his son, but he was extremely paranoid. Just yesterday he'd ran into her office and barricaded the door. When she'd asked what was wrong he shushed her and said he was being followed. He was. By Irene from Accounting. For his signature.

Unlike her old job, Ellie rarely had to stay late at the Ministry. Like today for example. She'd arrived at 9:30 and was packing up to leave at 5. She neatly organized the day's new contracts and forms and placed all of her notes in a folder and tucked it into her desk drawer, putting it out of mind until tomorrow. After making sure Crouch had no more need of her, Ellie locked up and left for the evening.

While her newly acquired Ministry job had been easy to adapt to, her new job as Death Eater was not. Though she did get to leave her first job relatively early, she now had a second job that was just as demanding. Twice a week Ellie used the Floo Network at the Ministry to floo into a predetermined location for Death Eater meetings. Sometimes Voldemort was there, sometimes he wasn't. But every time Ellie had to attend one she nearly had a panic attack and fought the urge to run home to Sirius. The longer she posted as Ari, the better it got, but it was still terrifying.

Tonight, however, there would be a mission, not a meeting.

Ellie hurried to the main floor of the Ministry where the Floo's were located. She passed both Order members and Voldemort's followers alike. The latter glared at her and the former gave her secretive smirks. Honestly, it was a bit disturbing.

Upon her arrival at the hall of fireplaces, Ellie glanced at her watch quickly and cursed at the time. It wouldn't do to be late. She tossed floo powder into a vacant floo and stepped into it, whispering her destination as quietly as she could before disappearing in a cloud of green smoke.

* * *

The sound of her patent leather heels clicking against the cobblestone street drew curious looks from the inhabitants of Knockturn Alley. As much as she'd like to draw her robes closer to her and run, Ellie did her best to appear confident and comfortable as she made her way to Borgin and Burke's.

The bell chimed when she entered the shop. A patron glanced her way, resuming his perusal of an antiqued vase only after he'd dismissed her as a threat. Ellie meandered towards to back, past the rows of odd trinkets and antiquities. She pushed open the heavy door that would take her to an adjoining room, a room where several of her comrades were already waiting.

"You're late," Yaxley chided.

"Apologies," she said. Reaching into her purse, Ellie pulled out Ari's Death Eater cloak and shoved her own work robes into the bag. "Crouch kept me longer than I'd anticipated."

A chuckle came from the corner of the room, "And how is Father doing? Still entirely oblivious to the two dozen Death Eaters in his employ?" Crouch left his position in the corner of the room. He stood next to Ellie and threw an arm over her shoulder. "And speaking of Death Eaters, how is my favorite one? You seem tense," His tongue ran up her cheek. "Mmm, you taste tense too."

Ellie glared at the man. He'd made many attempts at her over the past few months, and though she'd succumbed to none of them, they were getting more and more annoying...and inappropriate. She shook his arm off of her and wiped her cheek. "Go fuck your-"

"That's enough!" Yaxley berated them. He gestured towards the fireplace. "If you're both done running your mouths, I'd like us to get on with it."

Ellie continued to glare at the smirking Crouch. A rough slap on the back of her head from Avery forced her attention back to Yaxley.

"You've all been briefed on the task tonight. We'll enter the building in teams of two. Avery's with me. Rabastan and Rodolphus, pair up. Crouch you're with Dolohov. And Stroud's with Snape."

Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Ellie made her way over to her partner. Snape had successfully completed his initiation just before Christmas and had received his mark at the start of the year. He was quickly making a name for himself in Voldemort's ranks. This, combined with the fact that he was one of Lucius's close friends, meant she was Severus Snape far too often.

"Why do we always get paired together?" She muttered to the dark-haired man.

"I think they're hoping on of us will get the other killed."

"Or we'll manage to kill each other."

Yaxley cleared his throat. "If we're all ready to continue…. Each pairing will enter the building at a different point. Avery and I will enter at the foyer. Dolohov and Crouch will enter at the kitchen. Stroud and Snape will take the basement, and the Lestrange's will run the perimeter. Intel tells us that the Order should be in the main dining room. We estimate roughly half of its members will be there, so be prepared for a fight."

The point of this little excursion was to attack the supposed meeting place of the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort had somehow gotten word that a meeting was to take place at Dedalus Diggle's house at 9pm this evening. Ellie had been quick to alert Dumbledore, who appeared unusually concerned about exactly how Voldemort had gotten this information. Needless to say, there would be no meeting at Diggle's tonight. There would, however, be several Order members lying in wait for them at arrive. Now all Ellie had to do was storm the house with her fellow Death Eaters and look like she was actually trying to kill her targets, none of whom knew she was actually on their side.

"I trust you're all familiar enough with the layout?" They'd all been required to study the house's layout so that they knew it well enough to apparate into it. Ellie had the slight advantage of having been to Dedalus's several times to attend Order meetings before Ari's death. Once everyone nodded, Yaxley continued, "The plan is to floo into Dolohov's house. It's a couple of blocks from the Order's meeting place, so from there we'll apparate in pairs to our assigned locations. Snape, you go first."

One by one they all flooed to Dolohov's until just Ellie and Yaxley remained. She did her best to shake off her nerves as she climbed into the fireplace. Before she threw down her fistful of floo powder, she placed her mask over her face and prayed against all odds she wouldn't see Sirius tonight.

* * *

The next hour was a blur of movement. After arriving at Dolohov's, she and Snape had side-alonged to Diggle's house. Despite having left at the same time as the other Death Eaters, they had to rush up from the basement to join the already ensuing battle. Neither had predicted the basement being pitch black and covered in boxes, so this took a bit longer than expected.

Once they reached the main floor, already covered in bruises from their clamor up from the basement, there was hardly any time to survey their surroundings before a hex was thrown their way. Ellie dodged to the left, Snape to the right, the spell missing them both by inches. As she righted herself, Ellie looked up to find she was on the receiving end of Remus's wand.

Shooing Snape with a jerk of her head, she raised her wand towards her friend. The past two months training with Bellatrix had paid off immensely, and she was confident she'd be able to disarm him herself. Snape left to join the others and she raised her wand towards Remus.

"Incarcerous!"

"Confringo!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Okay, so she clearly wasn't trying to harm him. All her spells would do would disarm him, which-judging by the confused expression on Remus's face-he knew. If she wanted to convince everyone she was actually Ari and actually a Death Eater, she would need to try harder and trust that Remus could defend himself. She also really needed to practice nonverbal spells in combat because shouting like this was embarrassing.

Resolving herself, Ellie attempted to utilize everything Bellatrix had taught her in training. Her attacks became more violent, the blasting curse, sending a vase hurling towards Remus's head. She even nearly used Sectumsempra, a curse she'd seen Snape use several times, before remembering exactly what it did and deciding that was a little bit too intense.

Just when it looked like she'd gotten the upper hand, Remus called out, "Sirius! I need help in here!"

Oh wonderful.

Seconds later Sirius ran into the room, panting and looking a little worn, but otherwise unharmed.

"I think it's Ariella." Remus stated as he sent a spell her way.

Ellie shielded as Sirius's eyes raked over her cloak and mask clad form. "What makes you say that? It could be Yaxley under there for all we know."

Well that was a little insulting.

"The wand movements." Remus said, "They're a bit rougher than Ellie's, but I see similarities."

"Humph." Sirius suddenly sent off a flurry of spells, causing Ellie to respond just as rapidly. She managed to land a half-assed stupefy charm that sent him stumbling back into an armchair. As he rose, the furious glint in his eyes and the tightened grip on his wand was a result of more than just being hexed. He knew who she was. Or...knew who she was pretending to be.

The next few minutes found Ellie frantically casting defensive spells as both Sirius and Remus at attacked. The slight edge she'd had against Remus was gone with Sirius there. Luckily, she wouldn't have to fend them off for long. Right after she'd taken a candelabra to the knee, she heard Dolohov yell from the other room.

"Stroud! Let's go!"

She wasted no time disapparating the hell out of there.

* * *

Ellie yanked off her mask as soon as she had returned to Dolohov's. The other Death Eater's were already there, most having divested of their masks as well. Snape was standing near the window, panting slightly and gripping his left arm tightly with his right. Crouch was pacing in front of the fire with a slightly manic look in his eyes. There were rumors about him getting off on fighting, but Ellie hadn't really believed them until now.

Rabastan swore and threw his to the ground as his brother sank into a nearby armchair. "That was a fucking disaster. They were waiting for us!"

Yaxley nodded in agreement. "They were on Avery and I as soon as we got there. The Dark Lord will want to know what happened. Crouch, go immediately to him and let him know we'll all be there within the hour to give our reports. Do not mention our leak."

When Crouch left, the sound of groaning drew their attention to Avery, who was writhing on the floor.

"Has he been doing that this whole time?" Ellie asked.

Yaxley rolled his eyes, "Ignore him. He didn't know the layout of the house well enough and ended up falling down the stairs. He deserves it."

"I'm dying." Avery moaned, "Ari, lass, tell my ma she's a whore and I hate her."

Rodolphus sighed, "Get up you nutter. You've got a broken rib at most."

Avery slowly stumbled to his feet. "Huh. I think I'm okay. Oh hey, Dolohov, have you told everyone the good news yet?"

"What good news?" Rabastan asked, confused.

Dolohov smirked. "The Prewett brothers are dead."


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Nearly at the end guys. Well, the end of Part 1. Please review and I hope you enjoy the update!

**June 1981**

When Ellie had initially proposed the idea of taking Ari's identity, Dumbledore had set a few rules: wait for his contact, enter the castle via Hog's Head, and never tell anybody. Ever.

Their meetings were typically short. Since Ellie wasn't a part of Voldemort's inner circle, she was unable to collect very much information, and when she did, it was usually second hand and therefore not very reliable. She'd get lucky every now and then, but otherwise she was pretty useless.

So, when she got an letter from Dumbledore after just meeting with him the night before, Ellie was a little perplexed.

Narcissa and Lucius had gone out for the night, leaving Ellie home alone with Draco and the House Elf. It was very rare for her to have this much time to herself, so she'd changed into her pajamas, poured herself a glass of wine, and settled in on the couch to finally start reading Zamira Gulch's _Practical Household Magic_. Ellie would rather face off against Bellatrix than attempt to fold laundry magically. This book was a big step for her.

Draco had been put to bed an hour ago. She'd only had to rock him for ten minutes before he'd passed out on her shoulder. Ellie had forgotten how much she liked babies, her time around Harry having been cut far too short. Oddly enough, Draco was much more mild mannered. He was content being left alone to crawl and play, and never cried as long as he wasn't hungry. She missed Harry's fussing. He'd whimper if she wasn't holding him, cry if she put him down. She knew not seeing Sirius, James, Lily and Remus would be hard, but she never imagined she'd miss Harry so much.

Around eleven her musings had caused her to abandon her book and drink far more wine than she'd intended. After standing and stretching, Ellie made her way upstairs to turn in for the night. She fell asleep almost immediately, the exhaustion from her job and constantly being on guard as Ari's impersonator taking its toll as it did every night. Around midnight, the sound of the front door opening when Narcissa and Lucius arrived back home woke her. Ellie rolled over and attempted to fall back to sleep.

_Tap._

She readjusted her pillow.

_Tap. Tap._

She pulled the covers over her head.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Groaning, Ellie stumbled out of bed. She wiped the sleep from her eyes as she made her way over to the window where the infernal tapping was coming from. Tossing the drapes aside, she was surprised to find Fawkes waiting outside.

It took seconds for her to open the window and rip the letter open. Upon reading it, she stared at the words, confused.

_Come quickly._

_ -AD_

_ P.S. Ginger Newt_

Usually there was more information provided. A time, date, general pleasantries. This particular letter had Ellie feeling like she should throw on a robe and run out the door. Which is exactly what she did.

* * *

It took Ellie only half an hour to travel to Hogsmeade, enter the Hog's Head Inn, and take the tunnel all the way to the Room of Requirement. This put her only a few minutes walk from the Headmaster's tower. Since the students were out for summer holiday, Ellie felt much more relaxed traversing the castle. Typically, being caught by prefects was a real concern while term was in session.

When she finally arrived at the Gargoyle Corridor, Ellie whispered, "Ginger Newt," and began her ascent towards Dumbledore's office.

Ellie usually knocked lightly on the door and waited for Dumbledore to allow her entrance. However, this time his letter seemed so urgent that she threw open the door and raced into the room.

As she skidded to a stop just inside the doorway, Ellie took note of Dumbledore sitting at this desk. He looked exactly as he did the night before. Despite that they always met late into the night, he was still in his full robes, and he still looked wide awake. The only thing noticeably different was the man sitting in the chair opposite him.

She could only see the back of his head. His black hair was greasy and shoulder length and...oddly familiar.

"Ah, Ms. Stroud. So glad you could join us." Dumbledore greeted her. "Please, have a seat."

Ellie cautiously approached the desk, her eyes fixed on the familiar stranger. The closer she got, the more the man's features became visible. The hook nose, the sunken cheeks, the sallow skin.

_Son of a bitch._

Ellie fell into her chair next to Severus Snape. She openly stared for several seconds before she turned her heated gaze to Dumbledore. "What the bloody hell is he doing here?"

"Severus has very recently shared some very important information with me. It would appear we have a problem."

Looking to her left, Ellie took in Snape's appearance. He never really looked _good_, but tonight he looked worse than usual. His eyes and nose were red, his hair lanky and wind whipped. His pale skin was somehow even paler. He looked like a sad corpse, risen from the dead and tormented.

She felt his gaze on her, reassessing and reevaluating. Suddenly, Ellie realized that he hadn't had a reaction to her entrance, so either he knew Ariella was working for Dumbledore, or he knew she wasn't Ariella.

"How much have you told him?" She asked the Headmaster.

"Most of the important bits. I thought I'd leave the more revealing details to you, however. You may tell him what you wish."

A deep and cynical voice interrupted them, "I am right here and capable of carrying on my own conversations."

Ellie considered the man for a moment. Something was clearly wrong, and before she shared her skeletons with him, she'd know what it was. "Why don't you start by telling me why you're here."

Clearly pushing down his dislike for her, Snape began his story. Ellie listened in contempt as he explained having overheard Sybil Trelawney's prophecy a couple of summers ago. She raged quietly as he described sharing that information with Voldemort. And she moved to slap Snape upon hearing the Dark Lord was now after the Potter's.

"And why now?" Ellie yelled, her face flushed with uncontrolled anger, her hand twitching to strike him, "Nearly two years later, you come forward _now_! Why?"

The quiet, calm voice of Dumbledore answered for Snape, who now had tears streaming down his face, "When I first heard Sybil's prophecy, I had no idea which child it spoke of. I knew both Lily Potter and Alice Longbottom were with child, and so I told both the Potter's and the Longbottom's about the prophecy-to warn them."

Ellie thought back to the meeting over a year ago when Dumbledore had asked to speak to both Lily and James and Frank and Alice after everyone else had left. She and Sirius had met the Potter's afterwards for dinner, neither had ever mentioned Dumbledore's warning.

"At the end of July, when both Neville and Harry had been born, I knew then it could apply to either child. I had no idea until Mr. Snape contacted me this evening that he was targeting Harry in particular."

Ellie's eyes cut to Snape, "How long have you know he was after Harry?"

"I only just found out." When he saw the disbelief of her face, he added, "I swear. And I came directly to Dumbledore."

"What are you planning to do?" Ellie asked the Headmaster, her voice quaking. She slowly sat back down. "We have to hide them, Professor-Lily, James, Harry-Do they even know?"

"I've already dispatched Minerva to their residence. She will brief them and then we'll move from there. For now," His eyes cut from Ellie to Snape, and back, "the two of you need to decide how to proceed. Ms. Stroud, you may be assured that Severus has pledged me his unfailing loyalty. He has no reason to betray your confidence. I also believe that revealing the truth to him would be mutually beneficial."

Ellie considered Dumbledore's advice. She had to agree that when it came to keeping Lily safe, Snape would sacrifice anything. Throughout their years at Hogwarts she'd witnessed his obsession with Lily first hand. There was no doubt he loved her, as unrequited as it was. Ellie looked at the broken man sitting next to her. The question now was whether or not she could trust him to keep her secret. He already knew she was working for Dumbledore, but should she go the step further and tell him who she really was? It could be nice to have someone else know, someone she saw regularly who she could rely on. But was that person Snape?

"I have some conditions." Ellie said finally. She turned to Snape, "If you've managed to hide how you feel about Lily-"

"I don't-"

"Shut up. As I was saying, you've managed to hide how you feel about Lily, so clearly you're an Occlumens at least. I want you to teach me. Merlin knows how much longer this war will go on, and I want my...mind...covered." She looked at Snape, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "In return, I'll tell you everything. Deal?"

Snape was silent for several seconds. "Agreed," he said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie looked to Dumbledore, who nodded his encouragement. Taking a deep breath, she began her story.

* * *

"So...you aren't Ariella?"

"No."

"You're Estella."

"Yes."

Snape ranked a hand through his greasy hair and sighed. "How did I not notice?" He almost sounded angry with himself.

"Ms. Stroud has been very convincing. I didn't notice until she brought it to my attention." Dumbledore said.

"And I've lived with Narcissa for months with her none the wiser," Ellie added.

Snape scoffed, "Oh I seriously doubt that."

"No really. I-."

With a roll of his eyes, he continued, "Narcissa and Ariella were extremely close. I daresay she was as close to your sister as you were to Lily."

"Speaking of Lily," Dumbledore said, suddenly very serious, "I trust you now both understand why I found it prudent for you to expose yourselves to one another. Severus, can you trust that Estella will do whatever necessary to keep Lily safe?"

Snape glanced over at Ellie, "Ariella was jealous of Lily for a long time. I'd often overhear her discussing with Narcissa how much she hated your relationship with her. She felt like Lily had played some role in your falling out." He took a deep breath, "When Professor Dumbledore first told me you'd help protect Lily, I assumed you were Ariella and therefore was hesitant to trust you with her safety."

Ellie interjected, "Ariella never would have jeopardized Lily's life."

"I know that!" Snape said angrily, "Still, I feel better knowing you aren't your sister. So yes," he turned to Dumbledore, "I can trust her."

Nodding, Dumbledore addressed Ellie, "Estella, can you trust that Severus's love for Lily-"

"I'm not in love with-."

"Shut up, Snape." Ellie snapped.

The Headmaster raised an eyebrow, "Can you trust that his feelings for Lily will ensure his loyalty to me and that you can trust him with her-and by extension both James's and Harry's-safety?"

Ellie glanced at the man next to her. He'd choose himself over her every time. But he'd place Lily's life over his own in a second. "Yes."

Smiling, Dumbledore leaned forward and steepled his hands. "Excellent. Now, we move forward."


	41. Chapter 41

A/N: This going to be the last chapter until I started writing it and it ended up being insanely long. Part 2 will be up in a few days. Enjoy!

**October 31, 1981**

The past few months had really taken their toll on Ellie. Between her job at the Ministry, her job as a Death Eater, and her job as Dumbledore's informate, she hardly had any time to do anything besides work. At this point, Ellie wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep. She'd sleep for days if she could-weeks even. And she desperately needed it. In addition to the sleep deprivation affecting her Ministry work and the physical demands her Dark Mark warranted, her vanity also called for some shut-eye. As Narcissa so eloquently put it this morning, the "bags under your eyes have bags" as well as, "darling your skin looks horrendous".

She need never fear an ego-trip as long as she lived under Narcissa's roof.

Ellie had just left a quick meeting with Snape at his home on Spinner's End. Since Ellie was the only one of the two of them who had regular access to Dumbledore, she had to relay information to and from the Headmaster fairly consistently. So, they'd decided to meet weekly in lieu of owls which were becoming increasingly dangerous to use. They mainly discussed the Potter's; today's meeting focusing on their recent agreement to use the Fidelius Charm. Ellie suspected they'd asked Sirius to be their secret keeper, though Dumbledore had never expressly said as much.

She passed on this information to Snape, who then glared at her while she sipped at her tea for the next fifteen minutes before leaving.

When she arrived back at Malfoy Manor it was nearly eleven o'clock at night. Ellie entered the drawing room to find the majority of Lucius's friends strewn about the room. With one glance she spotted Avery, Rabastan and Rodolphus, Mulciber, Bellatrix, and Lucius, though many others were in attendance.

"Am I missing something? Was there supposed to be a meeting?" It was the only explanation for a crowd like this. Lucius frequently had fellow Death Eaters over, but never so many at once.

Narcissa, who had just entered the room from the adjoining kitchen, came to stand next to Ellie. Ever since Snape expressed his doubts about Narcissa believing Ellie to be Ari, she'd been on her guard around the witch. Fortunately, all seemed to be well and Ellie's relationship with Narcissa was as normal as ever.

"Why are there so many people here?" Ellie muttered, fighting a flinch as Narcissa lifted a hand to finger her blonde hair.

"I thought I'd given you a cream to use on this mess. Honestly Ari, it's like straw." She tutted, "This will take several treatments to fix."

Ellie rolled her eyes as she dislodged her hair-which looked fine by the way-from Narcissa's grasp.

"Cissy," she said sternly, "what's going on?"

Narcissa sighed. Ellie noticed her eyes ghosting over each person in the room. Bellatrix was in conversation with Lucius and Rodolphus. Mulciber and Avery were debating the effects of some new curse they'd invented. And Rabastan was occupying himself with the tray of pastries sitting on the coffee table.

"We're celebrating." Narcissa suddenly said, her voice soft.

Ellie felt her heart skip a beat. If Death Eaters were celebrating, it meant bad news for the Order. "And what is it we're celebrating exactly?" She managed to ask, careful to control her breathing.

Lucius chose that particular moment to join their conversation, "Ah! Ariella!" He said jovially, "I take it Narcissa's shared the news with you?"

Forcing her mouth into some semblance of a smile, Ellie responded, "She was actually just about to tell me."

"Allow me." He shared a grin with his wife and continued, "The Dark Lord has located the Potter's. Apparently their secret keeper gave up them up. He's on his way to their residence now to take care of this pesky prophecy business."

Lucius continued to talk, but all Ellie heard was the rush of blood to her head as she tried to keep from passing out. She became panicked, her feet taking her towards the door despite her brain telling her this was not the correct response to have.

"Ari? Where on earth are you going?" Narcissa asked incredulously.

"I-um, I'm going to let Severus know," Ellie's voice shook. She continued towards the door. "I'm sure he'd like to come join the party."

"He's not really the partying type, dear."

Ellie let the door slam shut behind her.

* * *

Looking back on that night, Ellie wouldn't recall how she'd gotten to Snape's. Later he would tell her she'd appeared on his doorstep in a state of shock, shaking and mumbling half sentences. Fortunately, all he'd needed to hear were the words "Voldemort" and "Lily" for him to jump into action.

When Ellie and Snape arrived at Godric's Hollow it was well past midnight. They'd apparated across the street from the Potter's house, each with their wand drawn and ready for confrontation. Neither was a match for Voldemort, but adrenaline had taken over, and even the pragmatic Snape was operating solely off of instinct.

Imagine their surprise then, when they looked across the street to find the house seemingly undisturbed. The porch light, as well as all other lights in the house, were still on, and there was no Mark above the house. Sharing a confused look with another, they made their way closer. Ellie was almost convinced Lucius had been wrong, that Voldemort wasn't attacking the Potters tonight. For just a moment she allowed herself to relax. And then she saw the that the front door was open.

Ellie ran towards the house, Snape right on her heels. She hurried through the front door and though the foyer, stopping instantly at the sight of James lying on the floor in the living room . Her knees went weak and, unable to hold herself up, she fell.

"No. No, no, no." Ellie's breath came in heaving gasps as she crawled towards James's body. Upon reaching him, she place his head in her lap and sobbed, her tears striking against his face.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to take on the world together, watch each others their kids grow up in a Voldemort free world, have weekly Sunday dinners were everyone would make fun of Ellie's cooking but still eat it because they loved her.

Ellie gripped James's hand in hers. She flinch at the lack of warmth, but still held it tightly as if to provide him some comfort. It was her fault anyway. She was supposed to have prevented this, supposed to have kept them save just as James and Lily would have done for them. Lily-

Lily.

Lily!

It was only then that Ellie registered the mournful cries coming from the second floor.

She leapt up from the floor and bounded up the stairs, following the sound of Snape's voice which was now yelling out nonsensical words.

The noise was loudest inside Harry's nursery. Ellie trembled as she approached the door, already knowing what she would find in the room. Tentatively, she stepped forward into the doorway and gasped.

Harry's room was in disarray. The rocking chair was overturned, baby clothes were scattered about the floor, and lying in the middle of it all was Lily. Fresh tears fell from Ellie's eyes as she stared at her best friend. She was in her dressing gown, a light green one that James had given her one Christmas. He loved it, mostly because it highlighted the her red hair. It also matched her eyes. Her wonderful green eyes that now stared unseeing at the ceiling.

The sound of sobbing drew Ellie's attention to Snape, who was sitting against the wall with his face buried in his hands. They had never gotten along, had actually been enemies for several years, but right now all she felt was genuine sorrow for the man who had just lost the love of his life.

She watched as Snape crawled forward to gather Lily in his arms. He slowing began to rock her, burying his face into her hair as he did so. Ellie turned away feeling almost as if she were intruding, her gaze coming to rest on what had been behind her. Harry's crib. Heart hammering, she stumbled towards it. Even knowing it was Harry Voldemort was after and that it was impossible to survive the Killing Curse, Ellie for some reason still hoped she wouldn't find her godchild lying dead in that crib.

When Ellie peeked over the edge to find Harry blinking sleepily at her, the tears started anew. She reached down to run a finger over the strange lightning shaped scar on his forehead, wondering how on Earth he'd gotten it. Content that it seemed to be the only damaged he's sustained, Ellie reached down and pulled her godson out of his crib, squeezing him lightly to her. Harry held tightly in her arms, she sank to the floor next to his mother.

* * *

Ellie wasn't she how long they sat there, Snape with Lily's head on his thigh, stroking her red hair and Ellie holding one of Lily's hands in hers while she clutched a now sleeping Harry to her chest with the other arm. Her eyes were incapable of producing any more tears, they were now red and dry, staring vacantly at the picture on the ground next to her. It had been on Harry's dresser, a framed image of James and Lily the day Harry was born. James had a huge smile on his face with his arm around Lily, whose smile was just as big despite her exhaustion. Harry was tucked in the crook of his mother's arm, his father's hand resting lightly on his swaddled body.

Harry squirmed, his face turning into her neck and his fist gripping her robes tighter. In the year since she'd last seen him he'd grown so much. And he still had so much growing left. Growing his parents would never get to witness. They'd miss his first day at Hogwarts. His first girlfriend. His graduation. His wedding. His...everything.

Ellie held the toddler closer to her. As if somehow sensing her sadness, he began to cry, the sound drawing both her and Snape out of their silent brooding. She gently placed Lily's hand on the ground and stood to her feet while trying to quiet Harry. Snape also rose after giving Lily a lingering kiss on the forehead. He then left the room without so much as a glance in Ellie's direction.

When Harry's cries finally turned to whimpers, Ellie grabbed a diaper bag from a hook on the door to begin packing his things. As she bent to retrieve the picture of the Potter's from the floor, Snape re-entered the room, wand raised.

"Wha-"

He placed a finger on his lips and then touched his ear. Ellie recognized the cue to listen, straining her ears to hear whatever it was that had him so alert. Seconds later, a creak on the staircase sent she, Snape, and Harry into the nursery closet. Mentally apologizing, Ellie then ensured Harry's silence with silenco.

Some might say their actions were cowardly, but at the moment for all they knew it could have been Voldemort coming up the stairs and now that she had Harry to protect, Ellie wasn't as keen to enter a duel at the moment.

The trio remained quiet as the sound of footfalls entered the room. When a shadow passed the closet, Ellie felt her heart stop. Thankfully, whoever it was simply stood in the room for a moment before exiting, closing the door behind them.

Ellie and Snape waited until they heard the sound of the front door closing to leave their hiding spot.

"Who do you think it was?" She whispered.

If Snape heard her he gave no indication of it. Instead he scanned the room, his black eyes soon falling on the carpet just next to Lily's body. "Her wands gone."

"What?"

He let out an exasperated sigh, "Lily's wand was on the ground right next to her. It's gone now."

It took Ellie a second to remember seeing the wand. When she did, she said uneasily, "That wasn't Lily's wand."

Snape glared at her, eyes puffy and hateful, "Of course it was Lily's wand. Whose else could it have been?"

"I don't know, but Lily's wand is willow and shorter than the one that was here. That wand wasn't hers."

A confused expression crossed Snape's face. He opened his mouth to say something when suddenly a blinding light shone thru the nursery window. She and Snape winced and shut their eyes against it. Thankfully, it was over as soon as it began. Ellie opened her eyes again, blinking at the spots that blurred her vision.

The lights in Harry's room blinked for a moment, shutting off soon after. The house went dark. Ellie looked around in horror as the room began to decay. The blue walls of Harry's room turned black, creeping slowly from the roof to the floor. Whatever spell had been cast on house was weakening it. Already the floor under their feet felt unstable and the smell of rot was overpowering. Ellie thrust Harry's diaper bag at Snape, telling him to fill it with as many of the boy's clothes and diapers as he could. Surprisingly, where she'd expected complaining there had been immediate compliance. Ellie grabbed another bag from Harry's closet and placed the picture of him and his parents inside it. With toddler in tow, she then hurried out the door, not allowing herself time to look back at her best friend.

The hallway leading to the staircase was deteriorating quickly. Already the floor had holes in it and the walls were charred, black and crumbling as if they had been ablaze. Before going back downstairs, Ellie detoured to Lily's room where she knew her friend's wand would be. Lily wouldn't think to carry her wand in her own home, a hint of naivete that may have contributed to her death. Sure enough Ellie found Lily's wand on her bedside table. She picked it up and placed it in the bag with the picture. It may be silly to think of such things while the house was falling to pieces around her and she was trying to protect a child, but Ellie was sure one day Harry would be thankful she'd stopped to do this.

The house seemed to groan, the noise jostling her back into action. Ellie quickly descended the dilapidated stairs to find Snape waiting by the front door where the rot had spread as well. As he shouted at her to hurry, Ellie knelt down beside James to retrieve his wand from his pocket. She then gently closed his eyes with the tips of her fingers.

"It's time to go, Stroud." Snape said urgently.

Harry leaned forward in Ellie's arms to set a hand on his father's cheek, his face solemn.

"Stroud." Louder this time.

Ellie tried to fight back the tears, really she did. But seeing the understanding on Harry's face nearly destroyed her. He would never know his parents as she had.

"Estella." There was desperation in Snape's voice.

Letting out a shaking breath, she rose to her feet. With Harry in her arms, Ellie forced herself to gather the resolve needed to place one foot in front of the other and walk out the front door. It was one of the hardest things she had ever and would ever do.


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: We've finally reached the end of Part 1! I will be posting a sort of transition chapter soon. It might end up being two chapters depending on how many words I can condense ten years into. I will also be taking a red pen to all existing chapter, so it may take a while for me to start Part 2. In the meantime, please review/comment! Tell me your favorite chapter/character/line, who/what you want to see more of, scenes you'd like to see in Part 2.

Thank you to everyone who has followed along so far. I hope you're enjoying the story because its not even halfway over!

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of the Harry Potter world.

**November 1, 1981**

Ellie and Snape barely made it outside, Harry in tow, when the frame of the house collapsed. They stood outside on the sidewalk in the cold, staring at the house that looked, until minutes ago, like a family could be sleeping safely inside it.

Snape was just setting down Harry's diaper bag when a voice spoke, "Severus. Estella."

Ellie startled and instantly stepped behind Snape with Harry held tightly against her. Snape faced the source of the voice, wand raised. He lowered it almost instantly, causing Ellie to peek around from her place behind him.

"Headmaster." Snape said. "What are you doing here?"

Dumbledore looked at them mournfully, "I was alerted when the house was breached. I'm so sorry for your loss."

Snape's fist clenched his wand as he looked away. Ellie noted the way his throat swallowed repeatedly, as if fighting to keep his emotions contained.

"There isn't much time." Dumbledore continued, "Hagrid is on his way to take Harry to his aunt and uncle's."

Ellie scoffed. "No. Absolutely not. I'm his Godmother! He belongs with me and Sirius." Her breath caught, "Oh Merlin. _Sirius_."

"I will discuss everything-including Sirius-with you later this evening. For now, it is imperative that I take Harry and the two of you leave. There must be no evidence that you were here. Hagrid will find him safely in his cot and take him to Privet Drive. In the meantime, the both of you will go promptly to my office and wait for me there."

Snape left immediately, leaving Ellie alone to balk at Dumbledore. The Headmaster's eyes narrowed slightly, "Now, Estella."

Ellie very reluctantly gave Harry to him, "We will discuss this later," she insisted.

"Of course."

Ellie took a moment to gently kiss Harry's cheek, and after one final lingering glance at the home of her two best friends, she tucked the bag with their possessions into her robes and disapparated.

* * *

It was early in the morning of November 1st when Dumbledore finally arrived back at his Hogwarts office. Snape and Ellie were already inside, occupying the same chairs they had sat in just a few months ago when they'd first learned of Voldemort's plans for Harry. They had been sitting there for hours, each quietly mourning the loss of Lily, and in Ellie's case, James as well. Despite their openness with one another at the Potter's house, neither was willing to discuss what had happened now, and so they remained silent.

When Dumbledore arrived, the loud crack of his apparation startled them both. Once they realized it was the Headmaster who had entered, Ellie jumped to her feet while Snape remained seated.

Now that she'd had time to stew over their earlier conversation, Ellie was even more furious about the fact that Dumbledore was sending Harry to Petunia and Vernon.

"You had no right to take him from me like that!" She shouted as she stormed towards him. "He's my godchild. Mine and Sirius's. He belongs with us!"

Dumbledore held up a hand. "There are reasons why I have made this decision, Estella. You must trust me." His calm demeanor only served to anger her further.

"Trust you? Trust you? You said you would keep them safe!" Ellie could taste the tears as they fell from her eyes and passed her lips.

"She and James put their faith in the wrong person," Dumbledore said. "Rather like Severus."

Ellie stared at Dumbledore accusingly, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Severus was hoping that Lord Voldemort would spare Lily. Had begged him to do so on several occasions."

"I meant what did you mean when you said they put their faith in the wrong person?"

"Ah." Dumbledore sighed and made his way over to his desk. Sitting in his armchair, Ellie could see the strain of tonight's events on his face. "You need to sit down for this, my dear."

Cautiously, she made her way to to her chair.

"Sirius was the Potter's secret keeper." He said levelly.

"...And?"

"Oh, isn't it obvious Stroud?" Snape spat, hatefully, "It was Black!"

Ellie laughed and turned to Dumbledore, ready for him to tell Snape he was wrong. When all she got was a look of pity, Ellie felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. "No...he wouldn't. Sirius would never hurt James. Or Lily. He Loved them."

"Only he could have led Voldemort to their location. It could have been no one else."

"You're wrong!" Ellie shouted as she jumped from her chair.

Dumbledore took a breath. Releasing it, he said, "I have been unable to contact Sirius since tonight's events transpired."

"He-he's probably at home," Ellie suggested hopefully.

"We have checked there."

"Remus?"

"Has not seen him."

Ellie exhaled sharply. "It wasn't him, Headmaster...please...it wasn't Sirius."

Dumbledore looked at her sympathetically, "I am sure that once he is found there will be a proper trial. The truth will come out then."

Based on Ellie's time working under Barty Crouch, Senior, she knew this was very unlikely. She slumped down into her chair, a sense of hopelessness settling over her.

"What do we do now?" Snape muttered from next to her.

Dumbledore redirected his attention to the Slytherin man, "If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear."

"What-what do you mean?" Snape stammered. Ellie raised her head to look at Dumbledore, also confused as to what he was talking about.

"You must help me protect Lily's son."

"He does not need protection! The Dark Lord has gone-"

The Headmaster fixed a hardened gaze on them both, "The Dark Lord will return, and Harry Potter will be in terrible danger when he does."

"All the more reason to let me have him!" Ellie interjected. "Let me keep him safe. Besides, I'm legally responsible for him. Take it up with the Ministry if you want Headmaster, but-"

"Ah, but you are _not_ Estella Stroud. Not anymore. You've been Ariella for a while now."

Ellie was flabbergasted. _How dare he_! "Then I'll confess! I'll go to the Ministry and explain everything!"

"And what about when Lord Voldemort returns? When he targets you for being an imposter and Harry becomes a casualty? What then?"

"I-I'll…,"She sighed. Ellie knew full well she wasn't strong enough to protect Harry from Voldemort. Her wards were usually weak and her offensive spells mediocre.

"Bedsides," Dumbledore continued, "There is another reason why Harry will be better off with his aunt."

Dumbledore then went on the explain what exactly had happened at the Potter's. He suspected that James was disposed of immediately, and that Lily had been given the option to live as a courtesy to Snape. Since she choose to die for her child, Harry was protected when the Killing Curse hit him, and Voldemort was temporarily vanquished. He then went on to explain that he had placed a bond of blood charm on Harry, and that by living with Petunia Dursley he would be granted extra protection until he came of age.

By the end of his explanation, Ellie had no fight left. Harry wouldn't be safe with her. Demurely she asked, "Is Petunia aware of this?"

"I'm going to prepare a letter for her to deliver this evening along with Harry," Dumbledore said.

"...Can I see him?" She knew the answer before she'd even fully asked the question.

"I'd prefer you did not. You and Severus must remain in your roles, Estella. When Lord Voldemort returns, it is essential that the both of you are in a position to gain his confidence. For that reason, you must stay away from Harry. Where you ever to be followed...well, it could bring harm to both you and the child."

Ellie leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees and bury her face in her hands.

"You are protecting him by leaving him be." Dumbledore said gently. "I know this is difficult, but in the long-run it is our very best chance of keeping him safe."

"Will he ever get to know me?" Ellie was once again on the verge of tears, her voice laced with thinly veiled anguish.

"When the Dark Lord is truly defeated, both of you will be recognized for all you have sacrificed."

This was, of course, the wrong this to say to Snape.

With measured breath, he jumped into the conversation, "Never-never tell, Dumbledore! This must be between us! Swear it! I cannot bear...especially Potter's son...I want your word!" By the end of his speech, Snape looked desperate and crazed. Ellie feared he was finally having his breakdown.

"My word, Severus, that I shall never reveal the best of you? If you insist...and you, Estella? Do you feel this way?

"When this is all over, I want Harry to know me only as his Godmother."

Dumbledore sighed, "Very well." He looked between the two of them. "I want you both to remain in contact. Keep your eyes and ears open. Stay alert. Be ready."


End file.
